Inside the Chaos
by Ari-Satria
Summary: Izumi's normal days in Ikebukuro were over when she decided to accept an invitation to join a band named Despair. Thrown into a maelstrom of unusual events, what would await her in the end?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: This story is a fan-fiction based on 'Durarara!' by Narita Ryogo.**

 **This is my first time writing a fan-fiction, so please go easy on me. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the story.**

* * *

 **Chapter 1. Strings of Abnormalities**

For around three years... I had been living normally, peacefully in Ikebukuro. But perhaps, there would always be an end for everything. I was tangled in the strings of abnormalities. Color gang fights, urban legends, superpowers, serial killer, suicide cases, one by one they revealed themselves before me...

It began when I was electrocuted during one of our underground gigs. No, wait. That was not it. I think it was long before that accident...

It all started on that day.

* * *

I was walking on the stairs of Raira University, on the way to my apartment, when a guy with raven messy hair suddenly stood in my path.

"Would you mind moving?" I asked.

"Sure but..." he trailed. "Join my band first!"

It was so out of nowhere that I did not know how to respond. Looking at my absence of response, he started to explain himself.

"Haha sorry. Did I surprise you?" he laughed and continued talking rapidly. "My name is Hiro. I am a computer science student. You must be Sato Izumi-san from psychology right? I understand that you are currently wondering how do I know you but it is not an important issue okay? So, the thing is, your personal blog caught my attention. It was like fate you know? I suddenly found your blog, read the content, and very impressed! I think you have a knack for being a songwriter! Then how about it? Want to join us?"

"Thanks for the offer but I refuse." I simply said without giving it a thought.

"Eh? Why? You really have a talent for it! It will be such a waste!"

I just ignored him and walked past behind him. No reasons for getting involved in such activity.

"Wait! You know what? You can even try to be our vocalist too! We just lost ours few months ago." He followed beside me.

"Go away, you annoy me. Do you want me to call the cops and report you for stalking me?" I glared at him. He finally let me go albeit reluctantly.

As I walked through the bustling streets of Ikebukuro, I thought about my blog that caused this troublesome event. I started it around three years ago, the first time I stepped into this city. The blog was filled with my personal rants about life and humans. Sometimes, I would write an elaborate post or a poem about my thoughts concerning the dark side of humanity. I always liked it when my mind walked on the edge of the dark side, but I never strayed too far. I needed to step back now and then to maintain my sanity.

The day then ended just like the usual and I was glad. The rest was filled with preparing dinner, taking a long evening bath, and sleeping.

The next day, I could not be more wrong...

There he was, waiting in the corridor in front of my class while leaning back on the wall behind him.

"Hey Izumi-san! How are you?" He called out to me cheerfully.

What the hell... I turned away from him and walked.

Too bad, he followed and fell into step beside me.

"Sorry for yesterday. I think I owe you more explanation than that but no worries, I will explain more today! So, after I read your blog, I traced your IP address. From there I got hold of your email address and then your mobile number! I can track your location based on that and here." He shoved his mobile phone right in front of my eyes. "See those two dots? They are us walking side by side! Well are not I amazing?"

I could no longer hold my fury. I grabbed his phone and threw it to the ground, hard.

"Do not disturb me." I gave him my threatening glare.

After that ruckus, I walked away as fast as I can. As I calmed down, I realized that I had caused a crack in my mundane life. These two days did not feel normal again.

He kept bugging me with his request for weeks. He would follow me between and after my classes, even along the streets of Ikebukuro to my apartment. My patience was running thin and then finally on the 25th day, I accepted his invitation to join the band just so he would not disturb me again...

* * *

It was Saturday afternoon when Hiro-san invited me to the band practice. Apparently, he owned a small studio inside his apartment. Spoiled brat...

"Thanks for coming Izumi-chan!" He greeted. The way he called me was so disturbing it made me want to smash his head.

"Let me introduce you to my band, Despair. I am the lead guitarist. The scary-looking guy there is Toru, he played rhythm guitar. The one holding the bass is Ryo. Then the one in charge of the drums is Tatsuya, the wavy haired guy." He continued.

"Nice to meet you guys. I am Izumi," I slightly bowed. It felt weird being so polite when the others simply waved or nodded to acknowledge me.

"Well then, shall we move on? Show us what you got Izumi-chan!"

I was a bit... nervous since never in my life I sang in front of others.

"Then, what song do you want to sing?" Hiro asked.

"...Uh. Mighty Long Fall?" I muttered, choosing my favorite song.

"Well you hear her guys." He signaled and they started to play their respective instruments.

My heart was beating fast I could feel it inside my ears. I stood in the center of the room, holding the mic with my slightly trembling hands.

When the intro nearly finished, I braced myself and sang along. At first, I could hear my voice shaking a bit due to my nervousness. After some time, as I tried to enjoy the music, I started to relax and finally could realize how exceptionally well they played.

Then when it hit the chorus, a wave of emotions exploded inside me. It was an unexplainable feeling. I could feel a rush of adrenaline in my bloodstream and it made me sang with such passion automatically. When we finished, I gasped for breath like I had been holding it in all this time.

"Izumi..." Hiro put his hands on my shoulders and whispered. "Welcome to the band."

It took me a moment to comprehend what he was saying. When I turned to look at them, I saw Toru, Ryo, and Tatsuya nodding and grinning. It was strange because somehow I felt a bit... happy.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **1\. There is a reason why I chose number 25. The symbolic meanings of number two are balance and duality, with the spiritual meaning deals with exchanges made with others, partnerships, and communication. Meanwhile, the spiritual meaning of number five deals with travel, adventure, and motion, while also carries instability, unpredictability, and radical changes. Five draws our attention to the wonder of life, and beckons us to appreciate the perception of chaos all around us. Source:** **whats-your-sign website.**

 **2\. The original characters' names written in Japanese: Sato Izumi 佐藤 泉 (meaning: fountain, spring), Hiro 浩 (meaning: prosperous), Toru 徹 (meaning: wayfarer), Tatsuya 竜也 (meaning: dragon assertive), and Ryo 諒 (meaning: reality). I have not decided on their surnames except for Izumi, maybe later.**

 **3\. Mighty Long Fall is a song by One Ok Rock.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: This story is a fan-fiction based on 'Durarara!' by Narita Ryogo.**

 **The story will be a bit slow perhaps because I want to spend around three chapters focusing a little on Izumi's background. Enjoy the story!**

* * *

 **Chapter 2. Despair**

"You are a natural Izumi-chan!" Hiro grinned.

"Uh, thanks?" I said with furrowed brow.

"Well, we all think that way. But you should work on your nervousness. It is so obvious." Tatsuya pointed out.

"I think she will do just fine as we show up in gigs often." Ryo said. "You know, just like Hiro when he started. He gains confidence as we progress."

Toru just listened and sometimes nodded as he was plucking his guitar.

"Guys, do not talk about me! We have to focus on Izumi-chan!" Hiro slammed the coffee table in front of us.

"Okay Izumi-chan, let me explain about Despair." He started. "As you know, we are a member of five now including you. Our band's philosophy is anonymity. During our gigs we would conceal our original appearances with wigs, contact lenses, and masks. So all of us are living double, separate lives. We only perform in underground venues to deliver our songs. We do not have to worry about people knowing about us. Is not that interesting?"

I nodded. I was glad that I could still return to my normal life. I would only be someone else when I was with them.

"And for a bit about our band's history. Originally, we started a year and a half ago, but then our ex-vocalist Alex left after a year because of uh... some problems. So our band was on hiatus for months." Tatsuya continued.

"Yup. We have quite a number of fans but I am not sure how it is now since our hiatus." Ryo shrugged and gulped his cola.

"Anyway Izumi, now that you are officially in Despair, you can start writing lyrics for us." Hiro grinned with his right hand propped under his chin.

"What kind of lyrics do you want?" I asked.

"The dark ones. Just like your blog posts."

"Do I have deadline for that?"

For a moment they were silent and abruptly laughed loudly. Even the quiet Toru was shaking because of the laugh. Did I just say something wrong?

"Oh dear Izumi-chan. You cannot force inspiration to come to you right?" Hiro said still laughing. "Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you. When we perform, we need to address each other with different names too to keep our true identity a secret! Mine is Ichi."

"Ryuu." Toru said.

"I am Toshio." Ryo grinned.

"And mine is Takao." Tatsuya finished.

"So... Hiro is Ichi. Toru Ryuu, Ryo Toshio, and Tatsuya Takao?" I reconfirmed.

"Yeah. Try not to mistake us okay? It will be hard at first but I am sure you will get used to it." Hiro or Ichi assured me.

"Then Izumi-san, what do you want for your alias?" Tatsuya or Takao curiously asked.

"Hmm... to be honest anything is fine with me."

"How about Rei?" Toru or Ryuu suddenly suggested.

"It rings good in my ears." Hiro nodded.

"I agree." Ryo or Toshio gave his thumb.

"Sure." I gave a small smile.

* * *

My life in the band finally began. It was kind of refreshing considering how mundane my days were. So, our band practiced two or three times a week, depending on our schedules. I had improved these past weeks and the pointers they gave me were very helpful. We grew closer too, already calling each other with our first names. Well, Hiro was an exception of course since he already called me Izumi the first time we met. And also, I did not have problem switching from calling their actual names to aliases.

"Hmm... Do you think I should play it like this? Or this?" Hiro asked, strumming his electric guitar.

"I prefer the latter." Toru replied.

We were currently in the middle of creating the music since I gave them five drafts of lyrics yesterday. Hiro said he could not wait and asked us to practice the next day. Sometimes I would give comment to make the music match with the meaning of the lyrics but not too much because they knew their stuff. Week by week passed and we completed all those five songs.

"Finally! Thanks for the hard work guys" Hiro said looking so thrilled.

"Yeah, we should go to venues soon." Tatsuya nodded.

"Where did you guys usually perform?" I asked.

"There was this cafe located in a basement. Also sometimes we held our gigs with the other indie bands in abandoned buildings." Ryo answered.

"We should hit the cafe this Saturday night!" Hiro looked even more excited.

"But how about Izumi?" Toru glanced at my direction.

"I am fine with that?" I tilted my head in confusion.

"If you asked about that stuff, well you have nothing to worry about! I already prepared for it!" Hiro scrambled out of the studio.

"Stuff?" I asked to the others but they kept me in the dark.

Hiro returned and brought a cardboard box.

"Here Izumi-chan." He put the box in front of me.

"What is this?"

"Just open." He shrugged and gave me a cutter.

I opened the said box and inside it, there were white wig, five packs of yellow contacts, and a leather mask.

* * *

The building was packed with the youngsters. The sharp smell of cigarette smoke hit my nose to the point that it made my eyes watery and throat hurt. I was so not used to it.

"Are you okay Rei?" Ryuu asked with concern.

"Ah yeah. I am just not used to this kind of place." I said while coughing.

"Do not worry Rei-chan. You will get used to it soon." Ichi patted my back.

It was Saturday night already and we were going to perform in an abandoned warehouse today. I was clad in black for my first gig, with sleeveless shirt, leather jacket, ripped skinny jeans, and combat boots. I also donned the white wig Ichi gave me. It was slightly longer than my original raven hair that fell in the middle of my neck, while the latter was just around my shoulder. I did not forget to wear the yellow contacts as well, along with the leather mask. Everything was new to me. I had a bit of difficulty to put on the contacts, I even accidentally poked my right eye. The leather mask was more comfortable than I thought. I did not have difficulty breathing. There was also a zipper that I could open so I could talk easily.

After another band finished their performance, it was finally our turn. We set our instruments and ran a sound check first. Then again, I could feel my nervousness spread throughout my body. I tried to take deep, slow breaths but they did not help until Ichi called out to me.

"Hey Rei!" He smiled behind his black cotton mask. "Just enjoy it okay? Let all your emotions out."

I just nodded and opened the zipper for my mouth.

The sounds of Ichi and Ryuu's guitars started to fill the building, followed by Toshio's bass and Takao's drums. Closing my eyes, I embraced all the dark feelings I had put into the lyrics and let out my voice...

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **1\. Whenever on stage, they would refer each other with their respective aliases. Izumi = Rei, Hiro = Ichi, Toru = Ryuu, Ryo = Toshio, and Tatsuya = Takao**

 **2\. Their aliases in Japanese katakana along with the meanings: Rei** **レイ (black, dark), Ichi イチ (one), Ryuu リュウ (dragon), Toshio トシオ (brilliant man), and Takao タカオ (respectful hero).**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: This story is a fan-fiction based on 'Durarara!' by Narita Ryogo.**

 **Enjoy the story!**

* * *

 **Chapter 3. Dark Side**

I was in a trance-like state when I was singing, conscious but also unconscious. I felt wild and ecstatic, accompanied by rage and emotional euphoria. I could not see what was in front of me for I could only hear the wicked sounds of the instruments and feel the strange sensation from the back of my head.

When the sounds disappeared, I was pulled back into reality. I was panting, with sweats rolling on my face, and I just realized that my right foot was stepping on one of the sub-woofers. The crowds in front of me were cheering wildly and I failed to fathom what was just happening.

"Rei! That was super awesome!" Ichi said as he circled his right arm around my neck and ruffled my hair. "You were the most charismatic and emotional vocalist I ever met! It was like you let out all the feelings you locked inside."

"Sorry. I did not realize what I just did..." I replied in confusion and somehow I felt so tired.

"Just check this." Takao handed me a camcorder.

I could not believe what I was seeing. There were us on the stage and the crowds were moshing violently in front of it.

Was it truly me in the recording? I moved around the stage with such vigor and confidence while singing so passionately as if I poured my heart and soul into singing the song. Sometimes I would angrily punch the air and violently shake my head back and forth. I could still feel the excitement back there but I failed to recall what I was really doing.

"That was an amazing first gig, Rei. Your voice control surprised me." Ryuu said after I finished watching.

"Good job on inviting her Ichi." Toshio punched Ichi's shoulder lightly.

"Of course! I have a good eye and intuition you know!" He gave a thumb up.

* * *

Week by week passed, we kept hitting the venues and our fan base continued to grow. Some members were even so fanatical that they became an occult-like group. We successfully made a change in Ikebukuro through our music. More youngsters embraced their dark side, but sometimes, things would go wrong. I was unsure if it was just a baseless rumor or not but apparently, our music increased the rate of suicide among teenagers, along with riots. It was none of our business though. People had their own freedom on how to interpret and feel our music.

As for my trance-like state during our performance, I had a sense of awareness of my surroundings now. I think it was because I got used to it. I still felt the adrenaline rush and the euphoria when I sang, but I did realize what I was doing.

And then, it was time for our next gig again...

"The next song is our new one." I said, holding the microphone. "I hope you guys enjoy it."

The crowd was really wild tonight, with teens dancing roughly here and there. It was such a thrilling atmosphere and we started to pick up the tempo to the chorus.

"Show me...

How hollow you really are

A walking zombie in the daylight!"

As I ended the chorus with powerful scream, I felt a strong electricity running inside me and in the next second... I was engulfed in darkness.

* * *

Chatroom

Late at night

\- Tanaka Taro has entered the chatroom -

Tanaka Taro: Good evening.

Setton: Evening~

Tanaka Taro: Ah it is Setton-san! I saw it today! The black bike!

Setton: ? You are in Ikebukuro?

Tanaka Taro: Yeah, well actually I am living in Ikebukuro from today onward. I am in my friend's house now, but I am moving into an apartment near the station tomorrow. I have signed up for an ISP, so I will be able to go on online immediately.

Setton: I see, congratulations then. Are you living alone?

Tanaka Taro: Yeah.

Setton: Hey, you said you saw the black biker. Was it around seven at night just now?

Tanaka Taro: You saw it too? I saw it near Sunshine City.

Setton: I knew about it because I was there too.

Tanaka Taro: Really?! Then maybe we might have passed each other without knowing!

Setton: Maybe.

Tanaka Taro: If I had known I would have told you first!

Setton: Anyway, welcome to Ikebukuro. If you have anything you want to ask me, just shoot.

Tanaka Taro: Thanks! Thanks! Ah, then I will just start asking...

Setton: Go on, go on.

Tanaka Taro: Do you know someone named Orihara Izaya? I asked my friend but he told me that it is best if I do not get near him. Is that person really that scary? Hmm, you probably would not know right? Sorry.

Setton: Tanaka Taro, does your friend have underground ties or something?

Tanaka Taro: Ah, he is just a normal guy.

Setton: Ah I see. Well, sorry, but concerning Orihara Izaya, the less you know, the better. That person is trouble.

Kanra: Ah! Tanaka, good evening~

Tanaka Taro: ?! Kanra-san, you are here?

Kanra: I was on the phone. Ah, I just saw the chat log. So you are in Tokyo? Congratulations! Let us have an offline meeting sometime then.

Tanaka Taro: Do not bother if you are busy. But an offline meeting does sound nice.

Kanra: Yeah! Ah that is right, speaking of offline meetings, were not there some cases of online suicide pacts?

Setton: Oh? I think it was all the rage last year. Some people and others they met online organised this mass suicide pact.

Tanaka Taro: How morbid. But there has not been much mention of it on the news.

Setton: It has probably calmed down, or maybe it has become so frequent it is no longer newsworthy.

Kanra: Not necessarily. Alternatively, it is still ongoing, even rising, only no one has noticed yet!

Tanaka Taro: Eh?

Kanra: Or maybe it is because they never find the bodies.

Tanaka Taro: Uwaa!

Setton: You should not say things like that.

Kanra: Anyway, there were quite a few cases of people disappearing lately eh? And also there is a rumored underground band who can hypnotize you to kill yourself!

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **The conversation in the chat room was taken from the first volume of Durarara! novel with a bit of modifications.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: This story is a fan-fiction based on 'Durarara!' by Narita Ryogo.**

 **Good reading!**

* * *

 **Chapter 4. Afterlife**

"Rei! Rei!" Ichi shouted at the limp body in front of him.

The performance was stopped abruptly after the vocalist of Despair suddenly fell on the stage.

Showing no sign of movement, Ichi picked her up. "Shit! Guys, I am leaving to the hospital! It will be much faster to use my motorbike, you guys can catch up later."

He ran towards the exit of the abandoned basement and put her on the bike. Behind, Toshio caught up to him.

"Use this." He said as he circled a rope around Rei and Ichi's bodies and tied it.

* * *

A day after the incident

"Anyway, let us talk about the kind of stuff you guys want to do before you die." Izaya asked the morbid question to two women in a karoke box.

The two women in front him merely shook their heads in response to his question.

"I see. But, do you really want to die with someone like me? Are not there loads of other great guys who could do it with you?"

"There are not any. That is why we want to die. Humans are disgusting and life is cruel. We have enough of it..." The first woman said with anger in her voice.

"Yeah." The other woman nodded.

Silently, Izaya studied the two women. They obviously looked depressed and anyone could guess that they were suicidal. Regardless, the reason for them being here was in fact a response to the invitation "Let's Die Together" Izaya had posted on a suicide pact website. The messages were clear and to the point, and explained in great detail, with various methods of suicide and he gave a tremendous words of encouragement to kill themselves. There were even some which were written very formally, like official documents for some renowned enterprise.

The two adult women before him had chosen to die. One because she could not find a job and then blamed the society for that, and the other was simply because she had not been able to recover from the blow of a failed relationship, and both were despairing as such.

Meeting with people who wanted to kill themselves - he had already done it over twenty times. During the earlier meetings, Izaya noticed that many of them did not have much in common, with attitude towards death varied widely. But for around a month or so, the trend was changing. There were more people who clearly wanted to die. They claimed that they received some kind of enlightenment after attending a gig held by Despair, an underground band with rising popularity among teenagers and young adults.

Before the appearance of that said band, none of the people Izaya met had ever really committed suicide in the end. It was truly disappointing. But now, people started to really kill themselves and it made his blood boiling with excitement.

What were they thinking when they decided to die? Was there really no other way? Or perhaps, who did they want to die for? When people decided to die, just what kind of deep despair did they have in their hearts? Orihara Izaya loved humans more than anything else, and thus wanted rather badly to know the answers. But he had not met up with them for the reason of wanting to talk them out of committing suicide.

"So, what are you going to do after you die?" He asked breezily.

"Uh you mean like after going to heaven?" One of the women said dumbly.

She has already decided to kill herself and yet still wants to go to heaven. How bold can she get? But of course, it is things like this that make humans all the more interesting.

"Does Nakura-san believe in the afterlife?" She asked.

Nakura was the fake alias Izaya had randomly come up for himself. He smiled and shook his head and returned the question instead. "Do you two believe in the afterlife?"

"I do. But instead of an afterworld, I think people become wandering ghosts in this world."

"I do not. Death is an expanse of nothingness, just a piece of darkness... but that is much better than this."

 _Ah how disappointing. This is really disappointing. A total waste of time. They are only junior high standard. The atheists last time were much more interesting. These two only care about themselves._

"Thinking about the afterlife is a right reserved for only the living. But, if this conclusion is something you thought about endlessly and considered thoroughly, then I have nothing to say. But, being forced into the abyss of despair, like getting your life savings scammed by some Lombard, people who have been forced into their hopeless situations by external factors, only then do they have this right."

Izaya went on smiling and lightly said. "But for you, you gave yourselves these problems right? You have already decided to walk the path of hopelessness and you still place your hopes on an afterlife. I do not think that is a good thing to do."

"Um... does Nakura-san... want to die?"

"No." He answered impassively.

After a moment of silence, they started throwing tantrum at him.

"That is too much! How could you lie to us!"

"I think you have gone too far!"

But even as he saw their reactions, Izaya remained unmoved and as seconds passed, the cheerful expression he wore before had completely vanished, and replaced with an entirely different kind of smile.

His expression was stiff as a mask, with smile as cold as an ice. There was this unspeakable terror behind it and it made the two women frozen. It was like some kind of inhuman creature was standing before them.

"What do you mean that I have gone too far? I do not get it." He asked while maintaining that terrible smile.

"Did not you want to die? So what does it matter what I tell you? Even if you were lied to or scolded... you will be disappearing in a while anyway. So if you are anguished because I lied to you, then why do not you just bite your tongue off? Did you know by biting your tongue off to commit suicide, you will not die because of blood loss, but because of a momentary shock that causes the remaining part of your tongue to compress the trachea and thus results in suffocation. That way, all the things you find unpleasant will be gone. You would not exist anymore. It is that simple, and you say I have gone too far. I think it is you who have gone too far."

Izaya's smile was getting more and more hideous.

"You said death was just a big piece of nothingness right? But that is not true at all. Death is actually just disappearing. You trouble will not disappear, just your existence."

Izaya then closed his eyes. When he opened them, his smile had become gentle and relaxing, completely different from his malicious grin before.

"Anyway, I hate wastage. So, could I trouble you to borrow as much money as you can, give it to me, and then die? Because those insurance reviews are really troublesome, and probably are not going to get through, it will be easier if you just loan money. So when you die, at least the money you borrowed will not go to waste. If I sell your registrar and your bodies, I will be able to rake in a good place. Besides, I have some connections which specialise in this sort of thing."

The women made to say something, but Izaya was louder.

"Let me test you. Question one. Why am I sitting nearest to the door?"

As realization hit them, they experienced a totally different kind of fear just now. He was seated in such a way that seemed like he was deliberately blocking the door.

"Question two. What are these wheeled suitcases under the table is going to be used for?"

Only when Izaya mentioned it did the two women realize that there were two large suitcases under the table, placed opposite to their seats.

"First hint. The suitcases are empty."

Trepidation rose inside the two women at the same time.

"Second hint. These two suitcases were chosen because they match your size."

A nauseating sensation permeated them, and it came from their strong revulsion of the man in front of them. Yet there was something else that made the world before them start to spin.

"What is this..." One of them weakly said. Both women suddenly had no strength to stand up.

"Question three. If you two come at me at the same time, you might be able to beat me, so why do not you? Hint. I handed you your drinks when they came earlier."

The world would not stop spinning. In their blurry consciousness, they heard Izaya's voice float past their years. His tender voice was like a lullaby and sucked them into the darkness.

"It is love! You do not have any love for death. You have to embrace death with love. And you have too little respect for nothingness. If it is like this, how could I willingly die with you?"

"I will never... forgive you! I will... kill... you!" One of the women said with her last strength, glaring venomously at Izaya.

"Excellent! If you have the strength to hate then you can live. I am awesome. I saved your life. You have to thank me properly okay?" He responded with a grin.

After the two had lost consciousness, Izaya muttered to himself.

"Ah, but I do not like being hated by humans. I think I will just kill you."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **1\. The meeting between Izaya and the two women was a crucial event in Durarara!, thus I put it in this story. It was taken from chapter five titled 'Everyday in the City' in the first volume of Durarara!**

 **2\. I think I will closely follow the story in the novel since it has more depth and events that I can tweak freely than the anime.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: This story is a fan-fiction based on 'Durarara!' by Narita Ryogo.**

* * *

 **Chapter 5. Identity**

A rich, velvety curtain of complete darkness had fallen, swallowing up the day. The midnight marked the beginning and ending of the day. In a corner of South Ikebukuro Park, there was a pair of erect human silhouettes. One of them was Orihara Izaya and the other was a completely black shadow.

'So I just have to put them on a park bench and I am done?' The shadowy creature held a PDA up to Izaya.

He grinned and answered with a brief, happy "Yes."

"Actually, I wanted to drag them off to some loan company, but honestly, I am bored of this." Izaya continued.

'The cheek of you to say it.'

The job assigned to Celty this time was to move two people. After putting on her helmet and entering the karaoke lounge, the personnel had silently taken her to the compartment Izaya was in. And when she walked into the room, she happened to see Izaya trying to stuff the unconscious women into suitcases. When she was about to question this, Izaya merely smiled and asked her to help him.

"I am tired of this. And this is just a hobby, not work. Ah, thanks for today! The people who usually help me with this were all busy so yeah... normally, I will want to send them home but I think your motorbike is already at its limit from travelling all the way to the park." He said.

Celty probably could not be considered as a decent person for assisting such a cause, but she was more or less already used to it. It was not particularly unpleasant, though that did not mean that she liked it very much either.

'This will not somehow involve the police right? Do not implicate me." Celty's words were filled with anxiety.

"Do not worry, I have not asked you to move corpses. I only requested you to move two drunk women to a park bench." He assured nonchalantly.

'You do not need a suitcase for that.' She typed sarcastically.

Izaya just gazed meaningfully at the helmeted courier then suddenly asked. "Say courier, do you believe in the afterlife?"

'Why the sudden question?'

"You do not need to know, just take it as part of your job and answer me."

'You will know if you die.' Celty answered simply. Then she typed out a question and shoved it to Izaya. 'What about you?'

"Actually, I do not really believe in the afterlife. Honestly, I am really scared of dying and I would like to live a little longer." He chuckled.

'You are someone who enjoys drugging women and makes a living out of dealing information, but still wants to have a long life?'

On seeing this spontaneous query, Izaya laughed sheepishly. From his current expression, it was hard to imagine he was someone who had sunk completely into the underworld.

"Because if I die, I will disappear. So if I do not make use of my life to do all the things I enjoy, would not I have regrets?"

Orihara Izaya was an ordinary human.

Even for a criminal like him, he was not especially violent, nor was he particularly callous and was not even close to being someone who killed without batting an eyelid.

All the mortal desires normal people had, he had them too. Unsavory things people did on impulse, he had done it all. It was just like that. He was no extraordinary criminal mastermind, but was merely overly engrossed in his interests. But as his interests grew stronger and stronger, he managed to learn many things in his pursuit, and eventually became someone who earned petty change from selling this information to underworld organisations and the police.

After leaving the job to Celty, Izaya deeply inhaled the stale, Ikebukuro air which seemed to be nearly a few weeks old, and decided to leave.

Orihara Izaya was an outright atheist. He did not believe in spirits, nor did he believe in the afterlife. This was why he wanted so desperately to understand humans, and this was also the reason as to why he developed an interest in them so easily, as well as the reason he could trample on them like he did.

As for people who did not need to be understood, Izaya had absolutely no interest in them.

Anyway, he had only walked about ten meters from where he stood with Celty before, but he had already completely forgotten the names of the two women who had wanted to commit suicide.

He was an informant after all, and unnecessary information would only get in his way.

As of now, he was most interested in three things. Firstly, the true identity of the courier who always wore a helmet and never spoke a word. It was the existence of the entity which rode a motorbike that did not make a noise and wielded a black scythe, like a Grim Reaper.

And the other two things would be the group roaming around in Ikebukuro called the 'Dollars' and a band with soaring popularity among problematic youngsters named 'Despair'.

"I am so excited, so excited! Even though I am an informant, there are so many things that I do not know about in this city and things keep on emerging, appearing, and disappearing. This is precisely why I cannot leave a city where humans gather! Human love! I love humans! I love you all! And that is why you should all come to love me!" He proclaimed to himself maniacally.

Then he reached into his chest pocket and fished out his PDA. He switched it on and accessed his inbox. His gaze fell on two particular persons' information. The data showed that one of the subjects' names consisted of some rather impressive characters. It read 'Ryuugamine Mikado'. By stark contrast, the other person's name was really simple and common, which was read as 'Sato Izumi'. He continued by pushing the PDA's buttons rapidly and smirking meaningfully.

* * *

The room was bare and quiet, with distinct sterile smell of antiseptic. I was laying on a hospital bed, merely staring at the ceiling since I could not sleep and felt bored. I had been in the hospital for a day now.

Hiro told me that I was electrocuted during our last gig because there was a damage in my microphone. That time I was fainting and lacking of a palpable pulse to the point that I almost stopped breathing. But still, I was lucky for surviving the cardiac arrest and there was no visible mark on my skin.

Now that I tried to remember what had happened, I could faintly recall that I experienced an out-of-body experience when I was brought to the hospital. I saw myself in front of me, barely alive. I could observe the doctors and nurses performing medical resuscitation efforts. It was very strange and I just stood there in front of the bed, seeing myself. Suddenly, I felt like I was sucked by a strong gravity and found that I returned to the inside of my body. I could hear my surroundings but I could not give any response. And in the next second, it was dark again.

A beep echoed in the room, breaking the deafening silence. I turned my head to the bedside cabinet on my right. Somehow, there was a voice, screaming on the back of my head. It was almost like saying danger to me. I reached for my mobile phone and on the screen, it said 'You have a new email.'

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Just like the previous chapter, the interaction between Izaya and Celty was taken from** **chapter five of the first volume of Durarara!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: This story is a fan-fiction based on 'Durarara!' by Narita Ryogo.**

* * *

 **Chapter 6. Stability and Regularity**

The email opened after I tapped the screen, showing an invitation to join an online group called 'Dollars'.

 _Dollars? What a funny name. Seriously? American currency? Cannot you be more creative?_

I typed some words on my smartphone and then proceed to tap the 'Send' button.

'Hiro, are you still awake?'

My phone beeped after a few minutes.

'Yeah. Why? Are you okay?'

'I am fine. Just want to ask something.'

'? What is it? Do not tell me that you want to confess because of my heroic action to save you?!'

'Yeah, right. Just forget about it.'

'I was joking. So? What is it?'

'Do you know an organization called Dollars?'

'Oh? It is very unlikely for you to have an interest about this kind of stuff? Well yes I do! I am a member in fact.'

'Hmm... What kind of group is it?'

'No idea myself lol! I think it is like those color gangs you usually find in Ikebukuro. But interestingly, they do not have a color! Simply colorless.'

'Hoo, sounds like trouble.'

'? Did you receive an invitation to join? Well you should! You can find a lot of information about stuffs in Ikebukuro you know! There is even a thread about our band in the forum site. We are oh so famous~'

'I will think about it. Anyway, go to sleep Hiro.'

'Yes mom~'

I checked my inbox again and stared at the link posted in the email.

 _Should I? But I have this nagging feeling that this is going to be bothersome._

Ignoring my intuition, I clicked on the link and was directed to the Dollars site. I registered with a handle named 'Zero'. Seconds after, I received two emails. The first one was a password to log into the Dollars site. It said 'Baccano'. As for the other one, it was an invitation to a chatroom by someone called 'Kanra'.

* * *

A day after

Chatroom

Evening

Tanaka Taro: Does Setton-san know about Dollars?

Setton: Yeah I do, but I have only heard about it, which reminds me, did not Kanra ask this qustion before?

Tanaka Taro: Ah, oh yeah. But I forgot. Sorry about that.

Setton: That is ok.

Tanaka Taro: I heard some stuff about them from a friend. They seem really cool.

Setton: Wow~ but I have never seen them before. Do they really exist?

Tanaka Taro: Do you think they are just a web rumour?

\- Rei has entered the chatroom -

Rei: Hello. They do exist by the way.

Tanaka Taro: ! Good evening.

Setton: Hello Rei.

Rei: Sorry for disturbing your conversation. I just want to try out this chatroom. Apparently, someone named Kanra invited me to join yesterday.

Tanaka Taro: Ah, it is alright.

Setton: Kanra? We were invited by her too.

Rei: Oh? Anyway, the site really exists. I have checked it.

Setton: Well, even if they really exist, normal law-abiding people like us will probably never run into them.

Tanaka Taro: You are right...

Setton: It is better if we do not get involved with people like that.

Rei: You think so Setton-san?

\- Kanra has entered the chatroom -

Kanra: Hi everyone~ Kanra-chan is here!

Tanaka Taro: Good evening~

Setton: Evening~

Rei: Hello.

Kanra: My, my, are you guys talking about the Dollars? They really exist, because they even have their own exclusive website~! But if you want to browse it, you need an ID and a password.

Tanaka Taro: I see...

Setton: I am not going to look at it anyway, so it does not matter.

Tanaka Taro: ... Kanra-san sure knows a lot of stuff.

Kanra: That is the only thing I am good for after all!

Rei: Who are you Kanra-san?

Kanra: Hmm~ who am I, I wonder? I am Kanra-chan!

Rei: Why did you invite me here?

Kanra: Well, no reason. Teehee!

Rei: Setton-san, Tanaka Taro-san, is Kanra-san always doing stuff like this?

Setton: Unfortunately yes.

Kanra: How mean!

* * *

A few days had passed and my life had returned to normal. Going to the university, strolling around the streets, coming to band practices, and returning to the apartment, they had became a normal cycle for me. I felt somewhat bored, but perhaps stability and regularity were nice once in a while.

And this afternoon, I was just hanging out at 60-Storey Street after class to kill the time. The streets were bustling with people that it made me feel so small and insignificant. This world was so vast and there were approximately seven billion people on the earth. It was amazing how humans could produce other humans and reach that number, considering that mankind started from Adam and Eve, if it were true anyway.

Catching sight of Junkudo, a nine-story bookstore, I stopped pondering about Adam and Eve, and walked towards the direction of the building. I decided to visit the bookstore, looking for some interesting dystopian novels, and went directly to the top floor since it had English titles.

I explored the corridors and the shelves, trying to find interesting books to read. Then my eyes fell on a book titled 'A Brand New World'.

I had read some reviews about this book because it was considered one of the top 100 greatest novels of all time. Aldous Huxley wrote the book in 1931 and published it in the next year. The novel was brilliant, in a very dark way.

Artificially raised human embryos, children educated through a hypnopaedic process, and also discouragement of critical thinking, individual action, and initiative were the topics of the novel. It was crazy.

 _What would happen if our world turned out that way?_

* * *

Ryuugamine Mikado caught sight of a familiar face and saw that Sonohara Anri was surrounded by a group of girls wearing the same uniform. The surrounding atmosphere was relatively unfriendly. In the alley, three female students closed in on her and Anri was leaning against the wall. The three girls took turns hurling abuse at Anri, but she remained silent.

 _She is being bullied?! So there are still these kinds of things exist in Japan! And in a really cliched way too! It is like they are acting a scene from some old manga!_

 _I know. I will just pretend I did not notice that they were bullying Sonohara-san, and just come over smiling and say something like "Ah, what a coincidence, Sonohara-san" and it will be fine. Just like that! And if those girls have anything to say, I will just act according to the circumstances!_

As Mikado gingerly took one step forward, a hand reached out and landed on his shoulder.

"She is being bullied? You are going to stop them? How noble." Orihara Izaya said in relative admiration and gave him a rough shove.

"Wa, wait?!" Mikado panicked, causing the four girls to notice that there was someone else here.

"Ahahaha, what a coincidence Sonohara-san..."

"What... what the hell?"

There was a hint of fear in the bully's voice when she talked to Izaya who was standing behind Mikado.

"Oh my~ that is not good. You are threatening people in broad daylight? Even if God could forgive you, the police would not let you get away with it." Izaya said half-jokingly and took a few steps towards the girls. "Bullying is pretty low. It is not good. Not good at all."

"It is none of your business you old geezer!" One of the girls said. The three bullies savagely glared at Izaya to intimidate him.

"Yeah, it is none of my business." Izaya smiled.

"And precisely because it is none of my business, so you can get beaten up here or die a violent death here for all I care, even if I were to be the one to beat you or stab you here. On the other hand, I am ok if you decide to call a twenty three year old man a geezer. Because our relationship or lack thereof will never change. All of mankind are likewise related, yet at the same time they share no relationship with each other whatsoever."

"Huh?" They just stared at Izaya, dumbfounded.

Then he took another step towards the girls. "But I do not make hitting girls my hobby..."

As he finished his sentence, Izaya was holding a shoulder purse in his right hand.

"What? Eh?"

The strap hanging from her shoulder had been cleanly cut somewhere near her waist.

In Izaya's left hand that he had just put behind his back, was a small, sharp knife. Deftly, with his left hand behind his back, he withdrew the blade of his switchblade knife and swiftly returned it into the sleeve of the jacket. Watching a single-handed manoeuvre like this was like watching a magic act in Mikado's eyes.

Smiling, Izaya pulled out a cellphone from the shoulder purse in his hand.

"So, I will make stomping on girls' cellphones my new hobby."

Izaya flung the girl's cellphone upwards. There was a crisp thud as it landed.

"Ugh! You jerk!" The girl hurriedly stretched out a hand to pick it up, and saw Izaya's right foot brush past her nails and land on the cellphone.

"Aaahhhh!" The girl shrieked as his right foot came down on the cellphone again and again. His movements were precise, like that of a machine, as he was stepping on the exact same place. His laughter too, was mechanical and played out repeatedly.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Is this guy mental? I think he has really gone crazy!"

"That is so gross! Let us get out of here!"

Izaya's laughter and movements abruptly came to a stop after they had left the scene. Both Mikado and Anri were still there. And as if nothing happened at all, Izaya turned towards Mikado.

"I am bored. Stepping on girls' cellphones is no longer my hobby." He murmured to himself.

Izaya then smiled gently at Mikado. "You are really brave. You wanted to help a girl who was being bullied. Not many kids can do that."

"Eh?"

"Ryuugamine Mikado-kun, it is not a coincidence that we met here. It is because I have been looking for you."

"Eh?"

Just as he made to ask what he had meant by that, a convenience store trash can flew from further within the alley, and smashed directly to Izaya.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **1\. The chatroom conversation was taken from Durarara! Vol. 1 with a bit of modification.**

 **2\. In this chapter, I put the famous 'Izaya stomping cellphone incident'. And I love his maniacal laugh in the anime.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: This story is a fan-fiction based on 'Durarara!' by Narita Ryogo.**

 **I hope you enjoy the story!**

* * *

 **Chapter 7. Berserk**

The trash can crashed to the ground with a really loud thud and finally rolled to a stop.

"Ugh!" Izaya groaned, losing his balance and falling to his knees. But luckily, he had only been hit with the flat part of the metal trash can so there was not much of damage done.

He slowly staggered to his feet and looked in the direction from which the trash can had flown from.

"Shi... Shizu-chan?"

"Iza~ya~kun~"

Hearing these deliberately stretched syllables, Mikado and Anri slowly turned their heads in the same direction.

Standing there was a tall young man wearing sunglasses. He was wearing a bartender outfit, complete with a bow tie. All in all, he was dressed like some kind of hotel or nightclub pimp from a previous century.

"Shizu-chan, were not you working at the west entrance?"

"I got fired ages ago! And besides, did not I tell you not to call me that? How many times have I told you Iza~ya~? I have a name and it is Heiwajima Shizuo!" He relayed the warning in a low voice, with a vein throbbing at his temple.

"You are really troublesome Shizu-chan. Are you still mad I pinned that crime on you?"

"No, I am not. I just want to punch the crap out of you."

"Ah, I am in trouble now... so just let me go." Izaya asked to be spared but he had pulled out his knife from his sleeve.

Anri who had been spacing out, let out a gasp on seeing the silver gleam of the knife blade. Mikado on sensing her fear, began gesticulating wildly, trying his best to relay the message 'let's get out of here!' to her.

The girl nodded madly and took off while hugging her bag tightly. Just when she got to the main road, Anri accidentally bumped into someone, a tall woman with short, messy bob hair.

"Ah I am so sorry!" She said and bowed quickly to Izumi. Anri then ran again, followed by Mikado behind who almost hit Izumi again.

She then turned her head towards the direction of the commotion. Two guys were standing in the middle of an alley like having a showdown of the century.

Izaya started to run swiftly towards Shizuo and slashed at him, resulting in several knife marks on Shizuo's shirt.

"There! It is him!" A man from the crowds who just arrived in front of the alley shouted.

They were all surrounding Izaya and Shizuo.

"How dare you destroying my girlfriend's cellphone!"

"We will show you what happens when you fuck with the Dollars!"

"Is that Heiwajima Shizuo?" One of them finally realized.

"What the hell do you want!" Shizuo turned and glared at the people behind him.

In the face of terror, the gang lost their ability to make sensible decisions, causing one of them to scream and take off right towards Shizuo. He uncontrollably hit the back of Shizuo's head with a baseball bat.

Bam!

The loud sound made everyone frozen in place. And strangely, it was the bat that was left destroyed.

Shizuo's body hunched a bit because of the impact. Holding the back of his head down with both hands, Shizuo was shaking in fury. Blood trickled down and some hit the pavement.

Shizuo then straightened his back to stand.

"You aimed for my head, did not you? You know that might have killed me, right? And since you knew that when you did it, you tried to kill me, right? So no matter what happens to you, you cannot complain!" As he finished his sentence, he turned his head to the person who just smash him with a baseball bat.

Thump!

Shizuo punched the guy hard and sent him flying several meters away. Izumi was flabbergasted when she saw the poor man just passed right next to her left. A loud thud was heard when his body hit the hard road.

Those with overwhelming power caused instinctive terror in normal men. Like violence personified, like one who lives on violence, no... he was the very avatar of violence himself.

Izumi still stood there observing the crowd in front of the alley. At first, she wanted to help Shizuo who got blood on his head but now she was confused about who to help. Despite the injury, Shizuo did not appear to be hurt at all, he even went on rampage to punch, throw, and kick the guys who came at him.

"Okay, have fun!" Izaya waved and left the scene, seeing that it was his chance to escape.

Hearing that, Shizuo lifted a vending machine nearby and growled angrily. "You are not getting away!"

Just when Shizuo was about to throw the object towards Izaya, a huge man, standing at over twk meters suddenly appeared and reached out to pull the vending machine down.

"Simon, you son of a..." Shizuo growled in low voice.

"Shizuo, fighting bad." The giant said with strange Japanese accent.

"Shut up! Do not get in my way!" Shizuo ran to punch him.

* * *

After the fight between the bartender guy and the huge man ended, I finally walked towards them.

"Are you okay?" I asked the blonde haired guy.

"Huh?"

I fished out a pack of facial tissue from my small, black leather backpack and handed it to him.

"Here. Use this."

"Ah, thank you." He said with a tone of confusion in his voice.

When I looked to the direction of the other guy, he was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps, he had already left when I approached this guy.

"Anyway, just keep it. And be careful. You might hurt someone innocent accidentally if you go berserk like that. Well then, bye." I gave a little wave and walked off.

 _What a violent day..._

* * *

On the main road before the train station, a motorbike with no headlights cruised soundlessly past.

It sped right past in front of the police station, but the officers inside did not notice the motorbike which did not make a sound. And even on the streets, there were only a few people who noticed it because there was no purr of the engine from the motorbike, and looked back because they found it weird. It steered clear of the station, keeping a distance as it sped forth, so it did not run into any obstacles.

The traffic light turned red, and the noiseless motorbike slowed to a stop. And just then, she heard someone call out to her.

"Oh, it is you Celty."

Celty shifted her attention and vision in the direction of the voice, and standing there, was a man in a bartender outfit.

"Can you keep me company for a bit?" He asked.

Celty had spent twenty years in Ikebukuro and she had known Shizuo for a long time. Of course, he had no clue about her true identity or her gender, but he did not particularly care anyway. As the green light flashed, Celty swerved to the left into an alley and found a place to park.

Shizuo's shirt had been slashed by a knife a few times, which obviously was the work of Orihara Izaya. And he looked as if he had just had a brawl with someone.

"That bastard Izaya ran over to Ikebukuro again... I almost flattened him, but Simor butted in."

Shizuo always got angry over the most trivial of matters. He was easily irritated by what others said and would even get enraged sometimes. The more the other party confused him with words, the more unreasonable he would become.

Shizuo hated sophistic people the most, and his relationship with Orihara Izaya had always been like that of oil and water. Similarly, Izaya did not like people who did not listen to reason very much either, so both of them were in a situation of mutual dislike.

"I am not like Kadota, Yumasaki, and the others. I am always alone no matter what I do. I guess Izaya is the same with me. That bastard probably does not have anyone he can call a friend, but it is not like I want to be alone all the time. Actually, I really want to interact with people, even if it is just a formality or something." Shizuo complained.

He looked like he had had quite a bit to drink. Celty thought that it was probably not nice to just leave him alone like this, and thus had decided to lend an ear to his grouse.

"But... that flea Izaya, why did he suddenly decide to come here?" He suddenly asked.

Celty knew the answer. The reason was because of that twisted hobby of his. But then again, it was impossible for an information broker based in Shinjuku to have nothing to do all day. He had even been willing to risk the fact that Shizuo would be here the whole time. It looked like he probably had another motive.

"Which reminds me, I think I saw that bastard talking with a brat from Raira. And there was this weird girl who came up to me and gave me a pack of tissue..."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **1\. The fighting scene was taken from Durarara! Vol. 1 Chapter 8, titled Double Heroine - Sonohara.**

 **2\. As for the exchange between Shizuo and Celty, it was taken from Chapter 9 "Double Heroine - The Scarred Girl".**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: This story is a fan-fiction based on 'Durarara!' by Narita Ryogo.**

* * *

 **Chapter 8. Uncanny**

The same day

Evening

Steam filled the room as Izumi turned the shower on. Streams of warm water poured onto her body, soothing the tense muscles. She bathed her skin slowly, enjoying the warmth that spread throughout all her limbs.

Izumi's hands met her short raven hair, getting rid of the knots in her messy locks. After turning the shower off, she squeezed an adequate amount of shampoo into her right hand, and produced aromatic foams from it on her hair.

 _I hope that blonde guy does not go around making trouble again. What a violent citizen, destroying public facilities around him. And seriously, what kind of normal human can lift a fucking vending machine?_

 _Ah, and that black foreigner, I hope he is alright too. He looked bad after the fight with that bartender man. Anyway, it is none of my business._

 _But, why did I help him back there? Logically, I would stay away from such scene, and also, my gut feeling told me to stay away from problems. It was as if my body moved on its own, ignoring my logic and intuition. Or was it my subconsciousness controlling me?_

She then reached her hand towards a bottle of body wash. Strangely, before Izumi touched the object, the bottle had already flown into her hand, followed by a thud that echoed in the bathroom when it landed on the black, ceramic tiles.

 _What?_

Confused, she stared at the bathroom floor for a few seconds before picking up the body wash.

 _What was that? Was it just my imagination?_

Izumi lathered her body with soap, slipping her fingers dripping in the body wash across her fair beige skin. A well-endowed chest, taut stomach, slender neck, long legs, her body was both a blessing and a curse that could lead many men into lust.

After her shower was finished, she slumped into the bed in her black tank and shorts, laying and wondering about the uncanny phenomenon in the bathroom until she fell deep into slumber.

* * *

The next day

Early afternoon

It was rare for all of our band members to be free at this hour and gathered in Hiro's apartment. Today, we just practiced and discussed about our next songs and gigs like the usual.

"By the way guys, do you know that we have a fan-site now?" Hiro abruptly stopped our discussion.

"Huh? Really?" Tatsuya asked in surprise.

"Yup. Just check it. It is very well-designed too." Hiro said and put the laptop that he was holding on the table in front of us.

"Oh! It is true!" Ryo commented.

"Of course! Why would I lie to you guys?" Hiro responded with annoyance.

So, basically, the website covered information about our band and the members, as well as provided the photos and videos during our performances. There were also discussion board for the fans and future schedule of our gigs.

On the front page of the fansite, there was a description of our band.

'Despair is an underground band formed in Ikebukuro, which currently composed of Rei, Ichi, Ryuu, Toshio, and Takao. The band started to garner more attention when Rei joined the band a few months ago as the vocalist and lyricist. Despair musical characteristics are haunting lyrics that are emotional, deep, and confessional, addressing topics of social concern such as depression and suicide, as well as complex guitar work with sounds that blast out power chords, pick out chiming riffs, buzz with fuzz tone, and squeal in feedback.'

"Izumi..." Ryo suddenly said.

"Yeah?"

"I think you are the most popular member." He continued.

"Eh? Why? That should be me!" Hiro argued.

"Well, if you look at our band's description... you'll notice that Rei is mentioned first." Toru answered calmly.

"It is merely a description!" Hiro voiced his disagreement like a child.

"Anyway, I am curious about what they write for Izumi's profile. Let us check it out!" Tatsuya said excitedly as he clicked on an icon that would lead to my page.

There was a photo of me, singing on stage during my first performance, along with a description.

'Rei is the current vocalist of the underground rock band Despair. Not much is known about her just like the other mysterious members, except for her approximate height, hair and eye color, and vocal profile.'

Name: -

Alias: Rei

Birthday: -

Birthplace: -

Blood Type: -

Height: 171 cm

Weight: -

Hair: White silver

Eyes: Amber

'Her trademark voice is raspy with a combination of powerful, dark, and rich tone. Her range lies between C3 and D6. She has both strong head voice and middle voice. Rei is best-known for her total voice control because it still presents even though she is jumping and headbanging on stage, as well as her powerful and passionate vocal performance.'

For a moment they were just staring at the laptop screen until Toru broke the silence.

"Well, the description really describes you vocal characteristics, Izumi." He looked and smile at me.

"Yeah, you really are amazing. I do not know much about vocal profile, but hearing you sing makes me really respect you." Tatsuya added.

Somehow, being praised by them made me feel embarrassed.

"So... it is true that I am less popular than Izumi..." Hiro murmured sounding dejected while covering his face as if he was crying, and the rest of us just sweat-dropped.

* * *

Meanwhile, in a silent room at a run-down apartment near Ikebukuro Station, Mikado swiftly turned on his computer.

As he waited for the computer to boot, he turned on his cellphone which had been switched off during class and promptly checked his messages.

Behind Mikado, Celty watched in shock, not knowing what he was doing. And beside her, Izaya's eyes gleamed, like a hunter which had chanced upon a rare animal.

When Mikado's computer finished booting, he immediately gone online and entered some kind of password at an extraordinary speed. After accessing some websites, he gripped the mouse and moved it with some kind of rhythm.

After browsing for a while, Mikado turned to face the two.

Celty was astounded because Mikado's eyes were like those of a hawk which had spotted his prey, and his expression was both unfathomable and forthright as he faced them. Then he lowered his head.

"Please, both of you, cooperate with me for the time being." Mikado said in a firm voice.

"All the pieces are in my hand." He continued confidently.

"Bingo!" Izaya snapped his fingers.

Celty could only stare at the other two in confusion. She only knew that she had never seen Izaya this happy.

However, the happiest among the three was in fact Ryuugamine Mikado whose eyes were sparkling with joy, like a child who had just received a toy.

Then, Mikado began to speak and told everything about himself to Celty and Izaya.

* * *

In Hiro's apartment

Beep!

Boss, you have a new mail!

Izumi's and Hiro's phone rang simultaneously. Both checked their inbox at the same time, and then looked at each other with puzzled expressions.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **1\. The scene where Mikado revealed that he was the founder of Dollars was from Durarara! Vol. 1 Chapter 10 "Dollars Opening Scene"**

 **2\. I had a hard time trying to describe Izumi's (or Rei's) voice, so I researched about voice types and some female rock singers. As for the band's description, it was a combination of musical characteristics from Rock, Alternative Rock, and Emo that I got from Wikipedia.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: This story is a fan-fiction based on 'Durarara!' by Narita Ryogo.**

 **Enjoy the story and have a great day guys!**

* * *

 **Chapter 9. Battlefield**

The same day

11 PM

Darkness had long swallowed Ikebukuro's 60-Storey Street, and besides places like bars and such, most of the shops were already closed with their metal shutters down. Cars had already started driving down the normally pedestrian-filled roads.

Near a lamp post in front of Tokyu Hands Store, stood a woman in black windbreaker and a man in navy field jacket.

"Say, Hiro... do we just have to wait here or what?" Izumi asked while observing the crowds in front of her.

"I dunno, Izumi. Just wait?" He shrugged.

Night time in Ikebukuro would be blanketed by an atmosphere that was totally unlike that of the daytime. The relatively disorganized surroundings were gradually swallowed by the darkness, and the world momentarily seemed to be turning backwards. Recently, many people were turning to spending the night at the cheaper manga cafes than hotels, so there were similarly more people who did not bother taking the last train home.

On the street near the train station, there were employees of a karaoke lounge going around, trying to pull customers in, and became even more insistent when they caught sight of groups of students or people in the workforce who were planning an initiation celebration for new members in their office. But most of these people had already decided where they wanted to go, and disappeared from the street group after group as such.

People who had just finished their drinking sessions on the way home were also traipsing down the streets, as well as youngsters who were planning to party all night, and maybe groups of foreigners and such. Although it could not compare to during the day, there were indeed quite a few people traversing the streets at night.

And standing before the Tokyu Hands store, around the main road intersection, were two people who looked very out of place in the crowds.

One was a student wearing his school blazer, and the other was a woman in a business suit.

The woman in the business suit, Yagiri Namie, asked the youth before her.

"So you are Mikado-kun? You look a lot more... docile that I had imagined. Or maybe, is that the sort of kid we have to look out for these days?"

She seemed to be giving off an icy aura and looked relatively uptight, so those boys from karaoke lounges and host clubs, and those who were just looking to pick up girls, kept their distance.

On the contrary, Mikado was wearing a Raira blazer, and the vibe he gave off was that of an ordinary teenager.

Obviously, those touts would not be bothering some school kid hanging around by himself. In fact, the chances of a policeman taking him back to the station since he had seen him loitering around in his school uniform were in fact higher.

Two people who were so atypically different, yet they were both similarly out of place. A silent sort of tension had started to emerge and materialize between them.

"So, what is this deal that you were talking about?"

"Simple. Um, I mentioned it when I called you... the person you are looking for is with me right now."

"And? How much do you want?"

"No, I do not want money."

"Then how do you want to make this deal?"

"Do not you understand? What I want is the truth."

Namie did not understand what he was driving at, so Mikado slowly told his final demand.

"Please admit the wrongs your brother, Yagiri Seiji did."

The surrounding atmosphere momentarily changed from that of the warm mid-spring to one which would be found in a freezing winter. After a brief silence, Namie glared at him with a gaze that could freeze whoever it was directed at, and spoke in a supremely intimidating voice.

"You... what did you just say?"

* * *

I continued to observe the crowds around me, and sometimes I would turn my head to all directions looking for something out of place.

That was when I noticed there were a woman and a boy having a serious conversation.

It was a strange sight. The woman looked so professional in her business suit, while the boy was just a baby-faced teenager in a school blazer.

 _What would a grown-up woman have to do with a high school student? Family problems? They do not have similar features though, maybe they are not related. So... what could it be?_

I just kept watching their interaction and it seemed like they came to a disagreement. After their conversation reached its climax, the teen's suddenly moved his fingers on his cellphone button.

Then the woman slowly raised her hand high in the air, wearing a steady smile. I glanced at the surroundings and found that several men, who I assumed were her subordinates were closing in to their direction.

Beep!

Swiftly, I took my smartphone out of my pocket and read the message. That was when I realized that, the one who pulled this stunt was that teenager boy.

The content of the mail was "Anyone who is not looking at their phones now is an enemy. You do not need to do anything, just stare silently."

I could not hold a smirk that started to appear on my face.

I experienced an intense feeling of euphoria throughout my body. And my skin felt rough because of the erection of its papillae from the sudden excitement.

* * *

Beep beep beep! Beep beep beep!

Right after that message tone, another melody rang out. Waves of melodies continued to ring out, forming a twisted harmony.

The incoming message alert ringtones rang again and again, and were coming from every direction.

Namie and her hitmen finally realized that something strange was going on. They had been completely engulfed by waves of the tones.

The initially sparse crowds had suddenly turned into masses and people fished their phones out from their pockets.

Sound, sound, melody, melody, electronica, electronica, sound, sound, harmony, sound, sound, sound, melody, sound, melody, melody, electronica, electronica, sound, sound, harmony, sound, sound, sound, melody, sound, melody, melody, electronica, electronica, sound, sound, harmony, sound, sound, sound, melody, sound, melody, melody, electronica, electronica, sound, sound, harmony, sound, sound, sound, melody, sound, sound, sound, sound, and sound were ringing.

Then, in the midst of the incoming message alert ringtones which were gradually beginning to quiet down, they were now drowned in the sea of stares.

Around them were dozens of people, maybe even hundreds. They were facing them, merely staring on them, as if they had been separated from their surroundings and had been placed on a stage.

Namie screamed in terror. The illusion that the whole world was against then slowly began invading their consciousness.

Meanwhile, the youth that had been making a deal with her, had just disappeared into the stares.

The Dollars' leader had become a part of the crowd...

* * *

On the roof of Tokyu Hands building, a lone Dullahan stood high above them, looking down at their state of perplexity.

The black bike then let out a loud caterwaul, as if flaunting her existence. And the masses all looked up at where Celty was standing.

Satisfied with the crowd's reaction, she spread out her arms and fell vertically downwards from the top of the high-rise building.

As the crowds on the ground began to scream, she expanded the shadow surrounding her body as much as she could, and it looked as if a fog that was deeper than midnight had materialized in the darkness of the night.

The shadow then engulfed the motorbike, snaking around the wheels and the building face, as if they were attracted to each other, allowing her to ride perpendicular to the wall.

She leaped from the wall and descended between Namie's entourage and the Dollars. Ignoring people's stares, Celty pulled out a wreath of shadow without hesitation from her back, and willed it into the form of an enormous scythe.

One of Namie's subordinates was quaking violently, and raised his specialized baton and brought it down towards her neck from behind.

The helmet sitting on her neck had been knocked off, revealing an empty space that was clearly missing something. Screams of shock and terror followed, and the whole group in that instant had suddenly fallen into a state of sheer panic.

The Dullahan wailed, staining the street in the colors of a battlefield.

Izumi was still standing near the lamp post, watching the unearthly and otherworldly phenomenon. The back of her mind was screaming, telling her to run, but her body was frozen in place, with eyes wide and mouth opened. Her hands were shaking both in alarm and from the adrenaline rush.

Fight or flight? Izumi could not decide how to respond to the possibly harmful event or threat to survival.

Her adrenal medulla produced a hormonal cascade, resulting in the secretion of norepinephrine and epinephrine. Her brain was in the heightened state of alertness, vigilance, focus, restlessness, and anxiety. Her heart rate and blood pressure rose rapidly, and her pupils dilated.

Not far from the Dullahan, Izaya watched the situation that had passed its climax.

"This is really amazing." Izaya expressed in amusement.

Even in the face of Celty's true form, he still maintained his composure.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **1\. I explored Google Map Street View to see the exact location of the scene in front of Tokyu Hands Ikebukuro Store. I found that the background in the anime fitted with the actual place.**

 **2\. There is really a lamp post in front of Tokyu Hands' building lol.**

 **3\. The infamous gathering scene was taken from Durarara! Vol. 1 Chapter 10 titled "Dollars, Opening"**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: This story is a fan-fiction based on 'Durarara!' by Narita Ryogo.**

* * *

 **Chapter 10. The End of The Night's Banquet**

After Izumi regained the control over her body and mind, she started to look for the teen who was responsible for the scene.

Several meters away, she saw the boy stood with a man in a black coat, and started to walk towards their direction after wearing her windbreaker's hood. Izumi kept a safe distance and listened to their conversation.

"Honestly speaking, I am pretty shocked."

Izaya said that with a face full of joy, and not a single drop of sweat ran down his face.

"I knew all along that there were many people calling themselves the 'Dollars' online, but I never expected that the moment an offline meeting was mentioned... no, a gathering. It was such a last-minute suggestion, yet so many people still rushed over and turned up for it. Ah, humans have really exceeded my expectations."

Shaking his head lightly, he continued.

"But Mikado-kun... you came here just because you dreamed of escaping a mundane everyday life did not you? But just give it over a year or so, and life in Tokyo will become ordinary for you too. If you want to continue pursuing an extraordinary life, then I suggest you look elsewhere. Perhaps you could do things like drugs and prostitution, and delve deeper into the underworld."

Izaya quietly smiled. "To someone who is a member of the underworld, things like that are completely normal to them. Once you step into it, it will become 'normal' to you in three days. Is someone like you really able to put up with a situation like that?"

"If you really want to leave normality, you have no choice but to keep evolving. It does not matter if you want to rise higher or if you want to sink lower, it will be the same."

He then patted Mikado on the shoulder.

"Savour your normal life while you can. But, out of respect, I would not charge you anything for Yagiri Namie's number, and the fact that you are the creator of the Dollars. I would not sell anyone that info either. This is your group, use it however you want."

The man in the black coat retreated, but abruptly stopped in his tracks and turned his head, as if he had suddenly remembered something.

"Actually, I have been watching you online the whole time. Ah, I have wanted to know all along just what kind of person started that amazing group called the Dollars. Alright, good luck then, Tanaka Taro."

Having heard that, Izumi concluded that the teen named Mikado was in fact the founder of Dollars and Tanaka Taro in the chatroom. And that man, her intuition told her that he was probably one of the people in the chatroom too, possibly Kanra.

* * *

'Hiro, do not look for me. See you tomorrow.'

After sending the message to Hiro who was separated from me during the disturbance, I hid in the shadows of a dark alley when the police officers who had been patrolling the area arrived in 60-Storey Street.

After the police had left, I continued to observe the strange situation.

A tall youth in a school blazer stabbed the shadow with a large scalpel in his hand. And he stepped into a van, taking a girl with a scar around her neck away with him.

 _What are they doing?_

I glanced again towards the man with the black coat. He was still in his spot, showing no intention of stopping the scene, and just went on observing the turn of events with a happy smile.

The tall boy then approached Mikado and talked about something. Perhaps they were arguing, but the tall youth looked so composed, while Mikado appeared to be a bit terrified. Then, three men who were the black coated guy from before, tall man with a black beanie, and blonde haired guy, surrounded the tall boy and the scarred girl.

The shadowy creature attacked the tall youth and somehow, it turned to a dispute.

"Please stop! Seiji-san just a little strict, a little violent, and he is different from other people, but he saved me! He saved me, and Anri! And besides, he has someone he likes. So... so you cannot... kill... him..." The scarred girl cried.

"I am sorry! I am so sorry! Actually... I did not really die! I was still alive... and then Seiji-san's sister asked me if I wanted Seiji-san to like me! I... although I was almost killed by Seiji-san, I still really like Seiji-san! Then... then they got a doctor, and he said with some plastic surgery, and some make-up... then I would look just like that head... the head that Seiji-san is in love with!"

"But then... the doctor said, 'Your name is Celty. It is that head name.' So I wanted to become Celty for Seiji-san... but, Namie-san said it was not enough. She said I would be exposed immediately... so I had to undergo surgery to remove my emotions and memories! But I... I did not want to forget my feelings for Seiji-san! I wanted to tell him how much I loved him! So I... I escaped from the research facility!"

 _This is absolutely crazy. How could chains of bizarre events happened in a day?!_

The black biker then bowed towards Mikado and leapt onto her motorcycle. Under the cover of night, the engine of the motorbike let out a deafening roar, as if declaring that the night's banquet had ended.

Quietly, the man with the black coat slid to Seiji, the tall youth, and seemed to say something. Suddenly, it caused the boy to fell to his knees.

The scene finally ended and Mikado left the street in the night.

I too, decided to withdraw and head to my apartment.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **1\. This chapter is a lot shorter than the usual, but I have a purpose for that. It is important to end it there and you will see why in the next chapter.**

 **2\. The event was taken from Durarara! Vol. 1, Last Chapter "Dollars, Closing"**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: This story is a fan-fiction based on 'Durarara!' by Narita Ryogo.**

 **I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

 **Chapter 11. Enigma**

My apartment was just 10 minutes away from Tokyu Hands, located in Kamiikebukuro. And having withdrawn from the event, I crossed the main road, walking to the other lane and heading north.

There were quite a few people on the streets even though it had passed midnight. I put both my hands in the pockets of my jacket and just walked quickly to avoid troubles.

After walking for around five minutes, I felt that there was someone following me when I passed a ramen shop. I abruptly stopped on my tracks and went to the side, acting like I was making a call. My eyes were looking everywhere quietly but unfortunately I did not see the person.

Inhaling deeply, I ran fast and crossed a main road. I kept on sprinting after I passed Yachiyo Bank. My breath was ragged and my throat was dry.

 _This is so nerve-wracking... just a little bit more, Izumi. Just keep running._

I was so focused on running that I did not see a group of men just walked from a dark alley beside a building.

Ugh!

I groaned from the impact, muttered an apology, and was just about to dash again when one of them suddenly pulled my windbreaker's hood.

"Oh, she is quite a looker!"

"Do you think I will let you go after you bumped into me?"

"You should join us, Miss. We will take you to somewhere nice and warm."

They looked like they had been drinking, and leered at me. It was disgusting...

"Do not disturb me." I said sternly.

"Oh, come on." One of the four men pulled my arm.

I tried to shake him off but then his friends started to surround me and they brought me into the alley.

 _Shit shit shit!_

I was in a state of panic and screamed.

"Let go of me!" I tried to push them away with my hands.

Suddenly, two men in front of me flew and hit a wall. They were unconscious.

"What the hell! What did you do?!" One of the remaining guys shouted.

My head was dizzy and I felt like I was on the brink of blanking out.

"Go away!" I put my hand in front of me, and again, a man was hurled and crashed on a pile of garbage.

"Mo-monster!" The last man screamed and ran away.

I felt so weak and staggered to get out from the alley.

Everything was blurry and my body hit the pavement.

Laying on the street, I tried to keep blinking to regain my sight and saw a shadow of a person right in front of me. But just when I looked up to see the person's face, I fainted.

* * *

Humming a cheerful tone to himself, Izaya walked along the main road of Kamiikebukuro while carrying an unconscious woman.

After they passed a post office, Izaya turned right and entered a 12-floor building. The apartment was empty and no one noticed him. Even the receptionist in the front office ignored Izaya.

Izaya then went into an elevator and pushed the button for the third floor.

* * *

I was aware...

I could feel that someone was carrying me on the back. Judging from the width of the shoulders, and the firmness of the arms that held my legs, I presumed that this person was a man.

And perhaps, the person wore a fur jacket because my face felt ticklish. I could also smell the hair of that person. It was aromatic and sweet, like black liquorice.

 _Where is this person bringing me?_

I played several possible scenarios in my brain.

 _Is this person kidnapping me? Would he rape me? Or kill me? Would I become a victim of human trafficking?_

* * *

Slowly, Izumi who was laying on a bed, opened her eyes. Looking at the ceiling, the wall, and the furniture, she finally realized that she was in her apartment room.

Her whole body ached, as if she was just having a marathon.

"Are you awake now, Izumi-chan? Or should I say, Rei-chan?"

Izumi turned her eyes to the man in front of him. It was the guy that she observed in front of Tokyu Hands before.

She saw a dashing, enigmatic young man, probably a little over twenty. His features were delicate, yet he gave off an air of hardened maturity and competency, or more aptly, he appeared dignified. His gentle brown irises seemed to be able to accommodate everything, and seemed to be exuding all sorts of emotions. His glossy black hair reflected the light from the lamp hanging on the ceiling. In his attire, he looked like someone with quite the personality, but with nothing particularly alarming about him. He gave off an air of uncertainty.

Izumi knew though, not to be fooled by his appearance. In fact, Izumi's logic and intuition were warning her, and she had been alert since the time she opened her eyes, even though she could not move her body.

"Who are you?" Izumi asked calmly.

"I am Orihara Izaya. Nice to meet you." He answered and slowly walked towards the bed, just to stop right in front of it.

"Or should I say... Kanra-san?" She continued.

"Bingo!" Izaya smiled.

"And how did you know?"

"Well... a mix of logic and intuition."

"I am impressed Izumi-chan!" Izaya chuckled, did not ask further.

"Thank you. I like to be aware of what I am about to face." She responded with a small smile.

"Hmm..." He swiftly brought a knife out and pounced on Izumi on all fours.

Izumi remained motionless under the man's eerie, sharp-eyed gaze.

Her black orbs met his brown ones. In such a close proximity, Izumi saw that his irises appeared to have a hint of red in them. She was strangely calm, even with a pocket knife directed at the vulnerable jugular vein in her neck.

"Say... Izumi-chan. What if you die here?"

"Then, I will simply die, no longer exist in this world." She shrugged.

"Next question! Do you believe in the afterlife?" Izaya asked joyfully as if they were in a quiz contest.

"Who knows? I will only believe in the afterlife if I see it with my own eyes after I die.

"Are you an atheist Izumi-chan?"

"No. I think it is more appropriate to consider myself an agnostic."

Izaya remained quiet, waiting for Izumi to continue.

"Sometimes I wonder about what or who is the one responsible for our existences on the earth. What or who was responsible for creating Adam and Eve, the supposed first man and woman and the ancestors of all human in Abrahamic religions. Not that I truly believe it though. But still, I do not know for sure if a God or whatever it is truly exists or not since there is no evidence. So until I see it by myself or someone can prove it then I will remain agnostic."

 _Ah~ this person is interesting. Even better, she has surpassed my expectations! She remains totally unperturbed in the face of death. Interesting, interesting, interesting, so interesting!_

"You seem like you are not afraid of death, Izumi-chan?" Izaya smirked.

"Why should I? We are all meant to die at one point in our life anyway. Being afraid of it is useless because it will come eventually. So why not just embrace it? Death is a part of being alive, do not you think so? To die in this life is an evidence that you have been living for a while in this world. It is a prove that, you, once exist."

"But you seem to be contradicting yourself, Izumi-chan. You looked so afraid when the men before ganged up on you." He pointed out the previous event.

"That may be true. But I thought that they were going to rape me, that was why I panicked."

"Wait, let me answer. Well as you see, I am just a human, and contradiction is a part of life in general. Or maybe I just dislike it to die that way, after being raped I mean. It is disgusting. I do not want to die because of some scumbags. Perhaps I prefer to die by your hands? I do not know. I think I am a bit picky. But then again, when my death comes I should not be that picky. I will try to remember it if there is next time." She answered nonchalantly.

After what seemed like an eternity, Izaya's smile become gentle and relaxing.

"If those people were like you, then perhaps I would willingly die with them." He said in a tender voice and gently caressed Izumi's cheek while smirking.

"Do you hate me, Izumi-chan?"

"No." She gave a firm answer.

Sato Izumi did not hate Orihara Izaya at all. She was fascinated in fact. Even though the back of her mind screamed danger, she felt like there was something akin to gravity that pulled her to Izaya.

"How about you Izaya-san? Do you believe in afterlife?"

"No, I do not really believe in the afterlife. But I am scared of dying and I would like to live a little longer because if I die then I will disappear. So if I do not make use of my life to all the things I enjoy, would not I have regrets?"

"Well, I hope you enjoy your life to the fullest." Izumi gave a genuine smile.

"Thank you Izumi-chan, I will." Izaya responded with a meaningful grin and hid his pocket knife in his coat.

"Then I will take my leave now. Do not worry, I will see myself out. Good night, Izumi-chan." He stood and walked out of the apartment room.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **1\. I was not sure if the building that I saw on Google Street View was an apartment or not lol. I had found an actual apartment for Izumi actually, but I could not find the place on Google Map. So I just assumed that the building beside the Kamiikebukuro post office was an apartment.**

 **2\. Why Izaya smelled like black liquorice? Because someone on the net mentioned that the Izaya's perfume was like the aroma of black liquorice.**

 **3\. The description about Izaya's appearance was taken from Mikado's view in Durarara! Vol. 1 actually.**

 **4\. This chapter was confusing for me haha. What do you think? An opinion would be nice, and you can post it as a review or send me a PM. Thank you for reading and have a great day!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: This story is a fan-fiction based on 'Durarara!' by Narita Ryogo.**

 **I just updated the author's note section of this chapter since I made a mistake in my explanation, sorry. If you already read the chapter just skip to author's note.**

* * *

 **Chapter 12. Heaven**

Shinjuku

Early morning

After the uproar, Yagiri Namie had immediately taken Celty's head and left the research facility. And as she expected, not long after she had left, the news of a black bike, no, a Dullahan's body raiding the research facilities had reached her. But the head was already in her hands. If she were to let the Dullahan get her head back, her brother might lapse into the depths of depression, or maybe even simply just take that body as his soulmate as well.

She had decided not to ever return to the office, but, she had to find an organization which would help her hide the head.

She probably would not be very successful if she were to approach the underground for help, since the head would not benefit them anyway. If she were to go take it to another research facility, she would probably be received with courtesy because of the data she had with her, but she would still have to deal with the fact that the head would no longer be in her hands.

She had already run out of options. And finally she chose to seek refuge with one person.

"This is the first time we have met face to face right? Did that list of illegal immigrants come in handy?"

Namie, who had run away with the head, had come to Orihara Izaya's abode.

"But you have really done some silly things. In order to gain your brother's twisted love, you have abandoned everything. Or should I say, for the twisted love you have for your brother?"

Izaya softly ridiculed her, and at the same time he placed some Othello, shogi, and chess pieces on the game board. Although his attention and words were all directed towards Namie who was sitting before him, his eyes never left the game board.

"Your superiors could not just have sat still, could not they? Nebula is such a large scale international company, no, it is a mega company with a large influence even in America."

He set down another Othello piece, and now the black Othello pieces were on either side of a shogi pawn. A few diagonal squares away to the right from a pawn that was surrounded by Othello pieces, there were a shogi's bishop, a black Othello piece, and a chess' queen. And several squares away behind the three pieces was a single shogi's knight.

"Alright, the pawn is promoted."

As he said that, he immediately turned the pawn piece over, and picked up the king as if nothing had happened. An outsider watching him would definitely have no idea what he was doing. But to him, it probably carried some kind of meaning.

"So you are in pretty dire straits now huh. Maybe the mafia will try to hunt you down, or you might get shot right between the eyes by some expert sniper hired by a Swiss Bank, like 'pow', checkmate."

The king in Izaya's hand moved a space forward and captured the king on the other side.

"I wonder what will happen if there is a rule where the kings can have a one-on-one fight."

Izaya then opened the specialized briefcase and stared at the head that was inside.

"I am guessing I am just like your uncle. He probably believes in the afterworld less than anyone else."

As she listened to Izaya's reasoning, Namie began to think of her uncle's face. But just as she began to speculate his way of thinking, she was shocked to realize that beside her brother, she was completely uninterested in other members of her family. She was unable to remember her uncle's personality clearly.

"But I have already confirmed it. I am very sure that there will be definitely be an afterworld. Let us just take it at that."

Izaya was gazing at the beautiful face of Celty's head and played with her hair with his fingers and slyly said. "It is said that by principle, the Dullahans of lore were all female. Do you know why is it?"

"... No I do not. Some of my subordinates were researching those legends, but I have always thought it was a waste of time."

"So you are a rationalist. Alright, but no matter what you think... there are many myths and legends that have things in common with each other, and are sometimes even related. In Scandinavian mythology, a heaven called Valhalla exists... but actually it is not really a heaven. Either way, a place like that just exists. A similar concept exists in Celtic mythology, where departed souls rest in a place called the Otherworld. Now back to the Scandinavian folklore, which believes in the existence of female angels in armour called Valkyries, who look for the souls of brave warriors and guide them to Valhalla, speaking of women in armour who seek the dead, have not you heard something like that before?"

"That is why one explanation states that the Valkyries wandering the human realm are actually Dullahan. That is why Dullahans are female, and most of them have been reported wearing armour. If this is really the case, then that head is probably waiting. Waiting for its time to wait, waiting for a war, waiting for the time to guide that saintly warrior to Valhalla."

Even though everything he said after that was purely Izaya's own speculations, he went on just as if he was explaining facts.

"The reason why this head is alive but still in a deep slumber is because it is not a battlefield here. If it is possible, I would like to be that chosen warrior. But, even if I take this head to the war zones in the Middle East, I would not be able to survive on a battlefield."

Then, his voice suddenly changed into that of a youth who was anticipating something eagerly. His smile had already cut off all ties with humanity.

"If it is really possible to go to the place called Valhalla after one dies, just what would I have to do to get there? Besides starting a war... well, the only way is to start a war. I will have to start a war which only I can fight, and which only I can win, is not that right?"

Izaya then pressed his finger down on one corner of the game board, and as if using his entire body to convey his happiness, spun the board around forcefully. The Othello, shogi, and chess pieces covering the board flew off in all directions, leaving behind the promoted shogi pawn in the middle of the game board.

"If... right here in Tokyo... a 'war' that has nothing to do with the army or the government were to start... I have confidence that I will be able to survive to the end. Goodness, I am so lucky! I do not believe in heaven, and I chose a life where I could never get into heaven... and it is because of all that that someone like me was able to meet a fallen angel!"

Izaya showed that emotionless smile, expressing pure joy. And within his laughter and happiness, there was absolutely no room for anyone else.

"That is... just your own speculation." Namie who had been silent retorted.

"Those who believe will never perish. And I have said it before, this is just an insurance. That is why... I am doing my best to insure myself, to make sure I will be able to get to the 'afterlife'. Even if I go to hell after I die... even if there is only pain after death... it is fine as long as I continue existing in the afterlife. But if it is possible, I would much rather go to heaven."

"Let us all go to heaven together." Izaya continued.

As Namie looked at Izaya's mask-like smile, she realized only then, that she had given that 'angel' to the last person who should have her.

"As a member of the Dollars, I am best suited to safeguard this head. As the saying goes 'a ten-foot lighthouse shines far, not near'. Celty will never know to think, her head is right in the group she is a part of."

"You join the Dollars too. After all, our motto is 'all are welcome'. Even though I was the one who started inviting people in later on." Izaya ebulliently offered her a devilish invitation.

"Let us help this fallen angel spread her wings and fly. Alright?"

* * *

Raira University Cafetaria

Late Morning

"Izumi! I am so sorry that I left you last night! I thought you were right beside me when I ran!" Hiro apologized frantically.

"It is fine. Were you scared?" She asked with a raised brow.

"I was! It was crazy! I never expected that during the first Dollars' gathering there would be the black biker who does not have a head! He even had this huge scythe and looked like a shinigami! Oh my God!"

"Oh? Are you a coward Hiro? I did not know that." Izumi smirked teasingly.

"I am not! Being a coward is different with wanting to survive. You got that Izumi? Anyway, what were you doing last night?" He finally asked.

"Well, nothing important. Why?"

"You looked sleepy you know. And there are two black circles around both of your eyes." Hiro pointed with his index and middle fingers at his own eyes.

"Ah yeah. I did not get enough sleep last night." Izumi yawned.

"By the way... Hiro, do you believe in the supernatural?"

"Well, considering last night's event, I think I do now." He scratched the back of his head.

"Then how about psychic ability?"

"Hmm... I do not know. I think I am a bit skeptic about that, unless... I witness it with my own eyes like the phenomenon last night." Hiro merely shrugged.

"Is that so?" Izumi finally sipped her latte.

"Why Izumi?"

"Nothing." She smiled.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **1\. Edited: The black Othello pieces that surrounded the shogi pawn represented the Dollars. The promoted shogi pawn was Mikado who recently revealed that he was the founder of Dollars. The three pieces, which were a shogi's bishop, a black Othello piece, and a chess' queen were Izaya, Namie, and Celty's head respectively. As for the single shogi's knight, it symbolized Izumi. Does it have meaning? Well, maybe. Let us see in future chapters.**

 **2\. Shogi's knight (桂馬) jumps at an angle intermediate to orthogonal and diagonal, amounting to one square straight forward plus one square diagonally forward, in a single move. Thus the knight has two possible forward destinations. The knight cannot move to the sides or in a backwards direction. The knight is the only piece that ignores intervening pieces on the way to its destination. It is not blocked from moving if the square in front of it is occupied, but neither can it capture a piece on that square. Source: Wikipedia**

 **3\. The scene between Izaya and Namie was taken from the last chapter in Durarara! Vol. 1 with a bit of modification.**

 **4\. So I had finished following the main events in the first volume of Durarara! Next, I will move on to the second volume, but I need to wait for the imported novel to arrive, which probably will come at the end of this month if it goes smoothly. Maybe I will make some filler chapters, not really sure though haha because I may mess up the timeline. Thanks for reading and rest assured because this chapter is not the end of the story.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: This story is a fan-fiction based on 'Durarara!' by Narita Ryogo.**

 **I decided to write more since I found out that the events in the second volume of Durarara! happened during Mikado's second year in high school.**

* * *

 **Chapter 13. Count**

August

Morning

"So, how were your finals Izumi?" Hiro asked.

"Great. You?" I answered.

"Of course they went super smoothly! I am a genius you know!"

It was the last day of the first semester in Raira University. I met Hiro in front of the grand gate of the campus and walked together to Hiro's apartment in Kamiikebukuro. We were going to have practice session today after having a long break because of exams.

"Hey Hiro."

"Hmm?"

"Do not you think it is so peaceful lately?"

"Maybe? But is not it nice?"

"It is a bit boring though..." I sighed.

"Oh? I thought you like peaceful life?" He sounded surprised.

"I do not know. Perhaps, I secretly enjoy chaotic life." I shrugged.

"... You know, I think you have changed somehow."

"How so?"

"Eh, just changed?"

"I see..." I ended the conversation there.

 _This is too peaceful. Ah, I am bored... I wonder how are 'those people' doing? I hope these days are only the calm before the storm._

 _The suicide rate has declined a lot too in Ikebukuro. Perhaps, the weak minded people have gone extinct. I need a new entertainment..._

"Hiro, what do you think if we spread our music more? Maybe we should try Shinjuku and Shibuya..."

"So you are finally interested huh? I have planned it actually, but let us just discuss it first with the others." Hiro said cheerfully.

* * *

We were just lazing around in Hiro's living room after practice, enjoying cola and snacks. We only practiced for a while since the weather was scorching in midday, with oppressive humidity, and even inside the room with an air conditioner, it was still a bit hot.

"Hot..." Tatsuya complained sullenly.

"Yeah. The air-con is useless... maybe I should fix it." Hiro added.

I just laid on the sofa, trying to remain calm. But after some time I could not hold the heat too and started fanning my face with a magazine. The weather gave me a headache.

"So... Hiro, what did you want to talk about?" Toru asked. Toru who always had a scary-looking face looked even scarier under this weather.

"Ah yes, I am planning to hold our gigs around Tokyo during our summer vacation. What do you guys think?"

"I am in if it is late at night..." Tatsuya responded.

"Of course, stupid. We always have our gigs at night." Ryo poked Tatsuya's head.

"Then I will contact my friends outside Ikebukuro." Hiro fished out his smartphone from his pocket.

"What are you guys going to do during vacation?" I asked.

"Hmm... I will go to Hokkaido with Tatsuya to escape the heat." Ryo answered.

"What?! How can you just decide that by yourself?" Tatsuya grumbled.

"But you always stick with me anyway..." Ryo shrugged.

"How about you Toru?"

"No plan. You?"

"I am going to stay in Ikebukuro and take a part-time job."

"Then Izumi, you should work in a maid cafe." Hiro suddenly said with a perverted smile.

"No way in hell Hiro." I smiled and slammed the back of his head with the magazine in my hand.

* * *

A few days after

Heiwajima Shizuo and Tanaka Tom just finished their work for the day and entered a cafe to have a quick dinner. Around Tom, Shizuo looked normal and just followed him around, very different compared to when he was angered.

"Welcome. Right this way." A waitress greeted and assigned them a table.

"What do you want Shizuo?" Tom asked, laying the menu on the table so Shizuo can read it.

"Strawberry milkshake and cheesecake." He said right after he looked at the pictures in the menu.

It was strange. A grown guy, with a manly voice, ordered sweet drink and food for dinner. His preference was like that of a kid.

"Hmm... I will have an espresso and tomato pasta."

"I will repeat your order Sir. Tomato pasta, cheesecake, strawberry milkshake, and espresso."

Tom just nodded and Shizuo was busy looking outside the window.

"We will be right back, please wait a moment." The waitress bowed.

The waitress then proceeded to give the order to the chef, and after a while someone else came to retrieve the food and drink from the chef.

"Table five, Izumi."

"Okay."

As Izumi walked to their direction, Tom who just noticed her suddenly said.

"Hey, Shizuo... the girl who gave you a pack of tissue from your story... is tall and pretty right? With black hair?"

"Yeah, why?" Shizuo asked.

"Is that her?" Tom pointed to Izumi who now just several steps away from them.

 _Ah it is him._

As she thought that, Izumi set their food and drink on the table.

"Can I get you anything else?"

"Uh no..." Tom just looked at her unblinking.

"Well then, enjoy your meal." Izumi said politely and bowed.

"Wait..." Shizuo stopped Izumi when she was about to turn and walk off.

"Do you remember me?" He continued.

"I do. You are the guy who was bleeding the other day." Izumi responded.

"I am sorry but if you have a business with me, can it wait a bit? I almost finish my shift. Please excuse me..."

* * *

After serving three more tables, my shift finally ended and I approached the two guys who had been waiting for me outside the cafe.

"Can I help you?" I asked the man in bartender suit.

The person before me looked so different compared to the last time I saw him. He appeared like a quiet guy, with no distinctive qualities. He was pretty good-looking though and tall, maybe around 180 cm, and somehow resembled the actor Hanejima Yuuhei, but with blonde hair.

He took out a new package of tissue from his pants pocket and held it out in front of me.

"Here. Thank you."

"Uh... you do not have to give it back you know. And you even buy me a new one."

"Just take it. Bye." Shizuo then walked off.

"Wait!" I suddenly said and grabbed the sleeve of his shirt.

"Sorry, but let me introduce myself. I am Sato Izumi and I am a psychology student from Raira University."

"I am Heiwajima Shizuo." He responded politely.

"You know... when you feel angry, maybe it will help if you count first from one to ten before you do anything. I hope it works for you. Be safe, Heiwajima-san." I bowed and left.

* * *

For a moment, Shizuo still stood there on the spot in front of the cafe, looking at the back of the girl until she disappeared.

"Shizuo?" Tom called him in confusion.

"She said 'Be safe' to me." He muttered.

"That is new."

"By the way, Tom-san... I like the cheesecake and strawberry milkshake here..."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **1\. The timeline: a) Chapter 1-2 happened between January and March while Izumi was in her second year of university, specifically during the second or fall semester. b) Chapter 3-12 occurred between April and July, which was the first or spring semester of Izumi's third year in university. c) Chapter 13 was at the end of the spring semester which meant that it was the time for summer vacation.**

 **2\. Writing a filler is hard...**


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: This story is a fan-fiction based on 'Durarara!' by Narita Ryogo.**

* * *

 **Chapter 14. Whisper**

The next day, Shizuo came again with Tom to the cafe where Izumi worked.

"Hello, Heiwajima-san and..." Izumi's words hanged in the air because she did not know the other person's name.

"Tanaka."

"Tanaka-san. Table for two?"

Izumi did not really notice the other guy before, but now that she looked at him closely, Tanaka Tom appeared to be someone who stood out in a strange way. He walked around in a suit, but his sculpted ropes of hair did not match with his clothing. He looked sharp and business-like but not too polite. The air around him was calm, displaying a sort of reserved and laid back personality.

After taking their order, Izumi retreated to the kitchen and returned some time later to bring their food and drink.

"So... does my advice work?" Izumi asked out of curiosity.

"Well, kind of. The people who mess around with Shizuo have ten seconds to flee now." Tom answered instead of Shizuo.

"Hmm, it is okay to punch or kick them a little bit though if they start it first. I think they deserve it?" She shrugged.

"But... if it is someone who annoys you but means no harm, you should restart your counting from one Heiwajima-san."

"Yeah sure." Shizuo answered and continued to drink his milkshake.

"By the way, you have a cut here." Izumi touched a small wound on his left cheek. It was not deep and had dried, but there was blood stain.

Shizuo got that around an hour ago, when he and Tom visited a hoodlum to collect his debt. In his frenzy, the thug waved a knife and accidentally cut Shizuo's left cheek.

Izumi's next action made Shizuo and Tom stared at her blankly. She took a band-aid from her pocket as if nothing happened, then carefully and gently put it on Shizuo's wounded cheek.

"I do not have alcohol and cotton with me right now, I hope this will do. But you should clean it up later so it would not get infected. If you want, I can help you with that. You need to wait a bit though..."

"Well then, please excuse me. I have to serve the other customers. Enjoy your meal Heiwajima-san, Tanaka-san."

"This is so strange..." Tom muttered and tilted his head a bit.

"Yeah..." Shizuo added. His hand touched the adhesive bandage Izumi put on before for a few seconds.

This was only their third meeting but somehow Shizuo felt that Izumi was like a friend. She had witnessed his fury but nevertheless still concerned about him, who was the very definition of violence. Izumi treated him like the other human beings, even giving him a pack of tissue for his blood, putting a band-aid on him, and also telling him to be safe.

* * *

"Oh, you are still here?" I said when I saw Heiwajima stood in front of the cafe, leaning on a lamp post. I did not see Tanaka around.

I walked up to him and he gave me a plastic bag filled with a bottle of alcohol solution, a small pack of cotton, and a small box of adhesive bandage.

"Hmm... come here then."

After we had a seat on a bench in front of the cafe, I carefully removed the band-aid and cleaned the cut with a cotton ball damped with alcohol.

"Why are you helping me?" He suddenly asked.

"Because you are not a bad person." I simply said.

"But I destroy stuffs and hurt people." Heiwajima continued.

"Yes. But I know you do not mean harm actually. You are only bad at controlling your anger."

I paused my answer for a bit and then opened a pack of bandage.

"You know, there are some cases where people who have a really short temper cannot control their bodies when angered. I learned that in my class. You can tone it down with therapy, maybe I can help you."

"And also..." my words trailed off when I put on the band-aid.

"What?" He urged me to continue.

"Do not hate yourself."

It was my intuition that told me all about this. Words were just suddenly coming out of my lips without thinking. It was as if I could feel his loneliness, and somehow made me want to comfort him.

 _So pitiful... so sad, so lonely... The world is rather cruel is not it? All you truly want is to be loved right? But you could not love anyone..._

"Even though you had hurt someone you cared for accidentally in the past... it is alright because you never actually wanted to hurt them. Do not be haunted by the past... you can always try to change."

"You should learn to forgive yourself..."

"You can protect the people you care for with your power... as long as you can control your emotion. And... it does not matter that the world will always label your effort as violence no matter what or who you fight for. Because all that matters in the end... is your true intention."

"So... let me help you, no... I will help you." I looked at him in the eyes.

* * *

Izumi's voice was like a comforting whisper to Shizuo. It was soft and gentle... and even though they were in the middle of a bustling street in Ikebukuro, he could only hear her words.

It was as if she knew everything, his past, his fear, his loneliness...

His heart ached when he remembered the time when he hurt a woman he fell for in the past.

All this time... Shizuo had endured the eternal hell of loneliness that came with his power. And now, for the first time, he saw hope behind Izumi's soothing words and determined eyes.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **1\. This chapter was challenging to write. I can only hope that you can picture the emotions with my very limited vocabularies... So, tell me what you think?**

 **2\. I changed the title of this chapter a lot haha. I just picked randomly and after some time I decided to stick with "Whisper"**


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: This story is a fan-fiction based on 'Durarara!' by Narita Ryogo.**

* * *

 **Chapter 15. Unpredictable**

The same day

Chatroom

\- Rei has entered the chatroom -

Kanra: Evening Rei-chan~!

Setton: Good evening~

Tanaka Taro: Good evening Rei-san.

Rei: Hello. Sorry for being late, I just finished my part-time job.

Setton: No big deal

Kanra: It is okay! What is your job by the way?

Rei: Hmm... Should I tell you?

Kanra: Do not be so stingy Rei-chan!

Tanaka Taro: Hahaha

Rei: But are not you like Google Kanra-san? I thought you know everything that is happening in Ikebukuro?

Kanra: Oh that is it! I am mad! I am not going to talk with you again! Kanra-chan had enough!

Setton: Do not fight guys...

Tanaka Taro: Is not that a bit harsh?

Rei: Relax. I was just teasing her.

Setton: Duh!

Kanra: Anyway, do not you all think it is so peaceful lately in Ikebukuro?

Rei: Indeed...

Setton: I like it though?

Tanaka Taro: I admit it is a bit boring though. It is summer vacation but I have nothing exciting to do...

Setton: Why do not you play an online game instead? It is fun~

Tanaka Taro: Haha. I will give it a try I guess?

Rei: Hmm...

Tanaka Taro: ?

Kanra: What Rei-chan?

Rei: Should I stir up some troubles?

Setton: !

Tanaka Taro: Is this another joke again?

Kanra: Oh! You are so naughty Rei-chan! Bad girl!

Rei: Perhaps? Anyway, I do not think I can chat with you guys for a few days starting from tomorrow.

Setton: Are you busy?

Rei: Kind of. I am going to hang out in Shinjuku for a couple of days in the evening.

Tanaka Taro: Well, have fun then~

[PM Mode] Kanra: I wonder if this is an invitation, Izumi-chan?

[PM Mode] Rei: Who knows? What do you think Orihara-san?

Rei: I will log off now guys, I am beat... Have a nice vacation. Bye~

Setton: You too Rei~

Tanaka Taro: Good night!

Kanra: Kanra-chan will sleep too! I need my beauty sleep! Bye everyone, do not miss me~

\- Rei has left the chatroom -

\- Kanra has left the chatroom -

Setton: Should we log off too?

Tanaka Taro: I guess? It is kind of empty with only two of us.

Setton: Good night Tanaka Taro.

Tanaka Taro: Good night Setton-san.

\- Setton has left the chatroom -

\- Tanaka Taro has left the chatroom -

\- There is currently no one in the chatroom -

* * *

Shinjuku

Next evening

The basement of an abandoned building was already packed with youngsters, long before the band arrived there.

Despair never performed in Shinjuku before, but thanks to the power of internet, it was easy for them to spread their music. The impact was not significant though, because the allure of their band lay in their live performance. Rei's dramatic and haunting voice could easily lure depressed teenagers to their eternal rest.

"It is so crowded here. I really did not expect that." Ichi said in amusement.

"Thanks to the power of internet." Ryuu commented.

"This is super exciting!" Takao shook Toshio's shoulders violently.

"... Calm down Takao, you are making me dizzy." Toshio shoved him away.

Meanwhile, Rei was busy looking at the crowds. Her amber eyes looked as sharp as those of an eagle.

"Looking for someone, Rei?" Ichi whispered.

"Not really."

"Guys, help me bring and set up the instruments..." Ryuu said to the grouo and went out of the building towards their van.

"Just stay inside Rei. We will take care of it."

"Hey, not fair! You spoil her too much Ichi!" Takao complained.

"We are all gentlemen, are not we?" Ichi shrugged and walked off.

While Rei waited in the corner of the basement, some fans approached her and attempted to have a conversation.

"Rei, your song really moved me!" One of them cried in joy.

"Thank you. Please look forward to our live performance." Rei answered. Her amber orbs glinted, and behind her leather mask, she gave an unfathomable smile.

"Can I have your autograph?"

"Let us take some photos!"

Rei patiently granted their requests one by one and after the others had finished setting up the instruments, she went to the stage.

* * *

When we were on our second song, I noticed a striking presence within the crowds. Behind the group of youths, stood Orihara Izaya in his trademark black coat with brownish fur lining the edges. In the surrounding crowds full of people sporting dyed hair, his glossy black hair easily caught my eyes.

 _So you finally come huh?_

My amber lens met his brown orbs, and I kept the eye contact for a while and smirked before I continued to sing.

* * *

"Guys, I am going out to get some fresh air." Rei excused herself right after their gig ended.

In the sea of youngsters, she followed Izaya out of the building and kept walking towards an alley beside it.

When Izaya stopped, Rei finally said something.

"So? Did you enjoy the performance?"

"It was interesting... no wonder the weak-minded teenagers can easily commit suicide. They stupidly wandered into the abyss of despair." Izaya said in amusement.

"I did say I will stir up some troubles, did not I?" She chuckled.

"Are you bored Rei-chan?"

"Yes. Is not that obvious?" Rei suddenly sounded serious. "Will you entertain me? I will keep Heiwajima-san away from all your shady plans in Ikebukuro in exchange."

"My, what an interesting proposal. But... can you really tame him, Rei-chan?" Izaya mocked.

"Just wait and see." Rei responded calmly.

"Well then, let me give you a front seat ticket of a spectacular show." He said cheerfully.

"Thank you. I know you are not going to disappoint me."

Rei then took some steps towards Izaya, and leaned into his right ear.

"I did not have a chance to say this before but... you have this dangerous smell on you. I do not dislike it though..." Rei whispered.

"Are you interested in me, Rei-chan?" He breathed into Rei's ear.

"Maybe?"

"Sorry Rei-chan, I cannot love one individual. But I love all humans!"

"I know. It is because they are unpredictable right?" She gave a meaningful smile.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **1\. Sometimes I find that changing their real names to their aliases is confusing haha. Is that confusing for you guys too?**

 **2\. A reminder for you guys:** **Izumi = Rei, Hiro = Ichi, Toru = Ryuu, Ryo = Toshio, and Tatsuya = Takao**

 **3\. I will upload the next chapter as soon as possible because I already have an idea for it.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: This story is a fan-fiction based on 'Durarara!' by Narita Ryogo.**

* * *

 **Chapter 16. Associated**

Hiro's apartment

Two days ago

Sometimes... no, often... I just cannot understand what she is thinking.

I always thought that she was a normal girl. The first few days I observed her, her daily life was so boring that it made me feel like I was wasting my time actually, well, if not for my amazing patience and persistence.

But maybe I judged her too fast that time. And perhaps, considering that she wrote those morbid posts on her blog... I should have known better.

 _Do not judge a book by its cover, right?_

 _Ah, looks can be so deceiving..._

I thought she was just pretty, and a bit 'dark'. But the more I spend my time with her, the more I realize that I know nothing.

It is interesting though.

And now here she is, sitting in front of me with an inscrutable expression.

This is the first time she asks to stay for a bit after band practice. The others already went home and there are only two of us in my apartment.

I just stared at her while she was staring at the window with a faraway look on her beautiful face.

"What are you thinking Hiro?" She suddenly asked and glanced at me.

"Nothing?" I answered too fast for my liking.

"Hmm..."

And she continued looking at the window with a meaningful smile...

Somehow, I feel like she actually knows about what I am thinking. She really does that often...

 _Am I that easy to read, Izumi?_

 _Why do you change, Izumi?_

 _Do you really have some kind of psychic abilities?_

 _Is that why you asked me if I believe in the supernatural some time ago?_

 _Why are you keeping me in the dark, Izumi?_

 _The truth is... I am genuinely worried about you._

 _After that accident on the stage, you started to be strange._

"Hiro..."

Her voice was soft but gave off a stern feeling, and it made me automatically straighten my posture when she called.

This is so embarrassing... there is no way I am scared of her right? I am a manly man.

"Yeah Izumi?"

"You do not have to worry... I am perfectly fine."

See? She read my thought again...

Sometimes it is just creepy.

"I care about you Izumi..."

"... I know." She said and smiled.

This situation makes me feel so uneasy. What are you really thinking Izumi?

"Do you know Orihara Izaya?" She asked.

 _Damn..._

I have not heard that name for a long time, but of course I know him.

"Why Izumi? How do you know him?"

"Well, he visited my apartment some time ago."

 _Shit! Why did not you tell me sooner?!_

"Listen Izumi, that guy is trouble. You better stay away from him." I ruffled my already messy hair in frustration.

"Why is that? Do you have a bad relationship? No..." She looked deep into my orbs, searching for an answer. "You were associated... in a bad way."

I just sighed in exasperation.

"Yes. That is correct."

 _I should just tell you now right, Izumi? That is what you want right? Because somehow, even if I do not tell you now, you will know eventually right?_

"I went to Raira Academy for high school, and I was kind of famous for being adept at hacking."

"My popularity that time caught the attention of an information broker, which was Izaya-senpai. He turned out to be an alumnus of my school. As his junior, I agreed to work with him for a while, acting as one of his sources of information since I could access almost everything on the net."

"But then... I was anxious because sometimes he would ask me to get 'sensitive' information. So I backed off from helping him."

"It was fun actually... but I know when to get away when I need to. I do not want to have an affiliation with the underworld."

"And you should too, Izumi. Just stay away from trouble. Before it is too late..."

After a moment of silence, she stood.

"Thanks Hiro. I will go home now."

When we were at the front door of my apartment room, she turned back and suddenly hugged me.

"Hey Hiro... Thank you for being worried about me."

* * *

Present-time

"Rei..." I called out to her right after I arrived in the alley. "Let us go back."

I saw Rei and Izaya stood in a close proximity under the shadow of the abandoned building.

 _Rei... what are you thinking?_

 _Did not I tell you not to be associated with him?_

"You are not going to greet your senior?" Izaya asked with a grin.

"Long time no see, Izaya-senpai." I greeted him coldly.

"See you next time Orihara-san..." Izumi nodded at him.

"Come on Rei..."

I took her right hand and ushered her to get out from the narrow street.

"Hey Ichi-kun, you have done a great job avoiding me for three years." Izaya spoke.

I just ignored him and kept walking back to the basement. Once we were inside, I let go of her hand.

"Sorry Rei."

"Ichi, your hand is cold..." she said.

I did not realize that at all. Was I nervous, or afraid? Perhaps I felt both.

"Rei... you really should stay away from him." I warned her again.

"I am sorry Ichi... I cannot do that."

 _Ah, that is what I do not want to hear the most..._

* * *

After spending three nights performing in Shinjuku, I could finally get back to my part-time job. Our gigs were successful and there were some teenagers who committed suicide too, which were great.

Heiwajima and Tanaka had become regular customers of the cafe as well. Perhaps, their taste-buds matched with our chef's food.

 _Everything goes smoothly eh?_

Anyway, I still had roughly a month of summer vacation left before the next semester started, so I spent the time practicing my telekinesis and building my friendship with Heiwajima.

Honestly, I felt like a caretaker because sometimes he would come to the cafe with wounds and I had to tend him.

Then... about his anger management problem, well the progress was a bit slow, but Heiwajima was careful not to be violent in front of me.

After a few weeks, I found that he was not that hard to befriend as long as you watched your words. Once he trusted you enough, he would start telling stories about his past, and his complains too.

And now I knew quite a lot about him, for instance about how his superhuman strength surfaced for the first time. Apparently, it was because he was mad at his brother, Heiwajima Kasuka who was actually the actor Hanejima Yuhei, for stealing his pudding.

He told me about Tanaka Tom too, who he befriended in middle school. And of course, he did not forget to inform me about his archenemy Orihara Izaya. He even warned me too to stay away from him. It was too late though.

Anyway, regarding Orihara... well he did ask for my help a few times, and to make Heiwajima not get in his way, I would ask him to hang out with me somewhere.

* * *

"Hey Izumi, why are you hanging out with me?" Shizuo asked as he walked beside Izumi.

"Because I enjoy it."

"Are not you afraid? What if you are targeted by those scumbags who want revenge because of me?"

Shizuo looked troubled, he had been thinking about this for quite a while. He did not want Izumi to get hurt, so he thought maybe he should stay away from her. But deep in his heart, Shizuo longed for a companion...

"You do not have to worry. I may not look like it, but I am pretty strong." Izumi assured him with an unfathomable smile.

The truth was, Izumi had been a target. Sometimes at night when she returned to her apartment from work, there would be a few guys who tried to mess up with her. But of course, Izumi could easily take care of that because of her psychokinesis power. Just with a swing of her hand, they would go flying. Still, Izumi was careful not to use it often since it might attract unwanted attention, and also harm her health.

"Well... if you say so." Shizuo shrugged.

He was actually glad that there was one more person who was willing to accept him beside Tom and Celty.

"Heiwajima Shizuo!" Someone suddenly bawled.

Turning their backs, they saw a man walked to their direction with a baseball bat in his hand.

"Huh? Who are you?" Shizuo snarled.

"How dare you humiliate me in front of my gang yesterday! I will make you pay!" He then made a lunge at Izumi.

Just when he was about to swing the bat towards her, Shizuo's hand grabbed the person's head, cracking his skull.

"Aghhh!"

The guy shrieked in pain and let go of the baseball bat.

"Heiwajima-san..." Izumi spoke calmly.

"Do not hold back. But please only use your fists, okay? I think punching him once is enough."

Right after she said that, the dumb man was sent flying towards a trash can and collided with a loud crash.

"Well done." Izumi patted Shizuo's back gently.

"I am in bad mood now..."

As Shizuo said that he fished out a pack of Blue American Spirit cigarettes and started smoking.

"Then should we go home?" Izumi sighed.

"Come on... I will walk you."

"Eh?"

Izumi was taken aback by what he said.

"It is dangerous now that you are targeted. I will walk you to the apartment every time I see you on the street at night from now on."

Izumi did not know how to respond, but when Shizuo started to walk, she followed and fell into step beside him.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **1\. Finally! We know what Hiro/Ichi was thinking about Izumi/Rei!**

 **2\. The second novel of Durarara! will arrive soon, maybe tomorrow or the day after, so I will start working on the next main event for this story. But perhaps I will post one more chapter before moving on...**

 **3\. Thank you for reading and have a good day! And if you have the time please tell me what you think.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: This story is a fan-fiction based on 'Durarara!' by Narita Ryogo.**

* * *

 **Chapter 17. Chocolate**

Summer and autumn had passed, and the season changed to winter. Crystalline-white snow would occasionally fall under the lonely sky of Ikebukuro, painting the city pale.

Nothing had changed between Izumi and Hiro. Never did they talk about Izaya again since their encounter in Shinjuku. Band practices and gigs went regularly as well.

Nothing had changed too between Izumi and Shizuo. They would converse a bit whenever they met on the street, and then parted ways. Or sometimes, if Shizuo saw her walking around at night he would walk Izumi to her apartment.

And also... nothing had changed between Izumi and Izaya. They rarely ran across each other, and if they did, they would act like they never knew each other. And they did not seek each other too. But occasionally, Izaya would contact her whenever he needed Izumi's help with Shizuo, acting as a distraction. Izumi then would call or text Shizuo and asked him to hang out somewhere far from Izaya.

Those days of peacefulness were dull to Izumi. Though she was strangely patient, waiting for something chaotic to spark in the restless Ikebukuro.

 _Just wait... you will witness a spectacular show of pandemonium from the VIP seat._

That was what Izaya said to her.

* * *

February 13

Izumi's apartment

Sweet smell of chocolate filled Izumi's apartment room. She was standing in front of the counter, carefully stirring a mixture of chocolate, heavy cream, butter, milk, and sugar to avoid the formation of air bubbles. After that, she gently poured the mixture into three square-shaped molds that were already filled with almonds and let them cool down.

"Hmm... I almost finished the ones for Heiwajima. What kind of chocolate should I make for Orihara I wonder?" Izumi muttered to herself.

She prepared three kinds of chocolate for Shizuo, chocolate with strawberry filling, chocolate with almond, and chocolate with citrusy flavor, and all of them were sweet. There were three of each type and she put them inside a clear plastic box decorated with a silver bow.

After Izumi finished, she stretched her body for a bit and smiled.

"Well then, let me impress you, Orihara-san."

* * *

February 14

Hiro's apartment

"Izumi... where is my chocolate?" Hiro asked excitedly.

"What chocolate?"

"Do not act dumb Izumi, I know you prepared some for us." He grinned and poked my forehead.

We just finished our band practice for the day, and it was already five in the afternoon. I had to leave Hiro's apartment soon since by around 5.30 pm the sunset would fall, and it would be colder outside.

"Fine, fine..." I grabbed my black shoulder bag and gave a box of chocolates for each of them.

"Thank you Izumi~" Ryo and Tatsuya sang in unison.

"Thanks Izumi." Toru smiled.

"Is this honmei choco, Izumi? Oh my, I feel shy to receive this from you." Hiro squealed with delight.

"Do not get your hopes up. It is just tomo choco." I said coldly while smiling.

"... Why are you so cold Izumi?"

"That is why you should find a girlfriend Hiro..." Toru commented. It made Hiro lay down on the fur carpet like a corpse.

"I will take my leave then. Have fun with your girlfriends guys." I waved at everyone except for Hiro and left the apartment.

* * *

Shinjuku

Izaya's apartment

Ding dong!

Yagiri Namie opened the door of Izaya's apartment after she heard the bell rang.

Namie saw an attractive woman in her early twenties, with messy bob hair, light skin, and black penetrating orbs. Namie felt a bit intimidated by her eyes. It was as if they could see into the deepest part of her mind.

"Good evening. You must be Yagiri-san correct? My name is Sato Izumi, pleased to meet you." Izumi bowed politely.

"Ah yes, same here..." Namie returned the gesture.

"Is Orihara-san here?"

Before Namie let Izumi in, she glanced at Izaya first who was sitting on his office chair, and he just replied with a nod.

"Hello Orihara-san. It has been a while." Izumi smiled.

"Well, if it is not Izumi-chan. What can I help you?" Izaya said cheerfully.

"Nothing in particular. I just want to pay you a visit."

"I have finished my job, so I will take my leave..." Namie suddenly excused herself nonchalantly.

"Be careful Namie-san~" Izaya waved.

"You have a really nice apartment, Orihara-san. I am not surprised though." Izumi commented as she looked around.

She then walked towards his desk and put a box of chocolates in front of him.

"I hope you will like it."

"My, how sweet of you Izumi-chan! I expect you already know that I dislike sweets?" Izaya grinned.

"Yes. Do not worry. They are dark chocolate." She assured him.

The black box before him looked classy, decorated with glittered gold ribbon and a single rose-shaped ribbon with the same color.

Izaya opened the box and the bittersweet smell of chocolate filled his nose.

"This is pretty amazing." Izaya commented as he looked at the carefully garnished chocolate.

"Well thank you. You should try it." She said and sat on the office desk.

Izumi paused for a bit before smirking.

"Should I feed you?" She took one piece and slowly put it in front of Izaya's lips.

They stared at each other for a while before Izaya's mouth covered the chocolate. Izaya's warm lips touched Izumi's fingers, and his hot tongue tickled her fingertips intentionally. The sensation made Izumi's heart thumped, but she hid it well with her composed expression.

"Mm... excellent job Izumi-chan."

"Super complex, smooth velvety texture, bitter, slightly sour, with a hint of mint and just a smidge of sweetness..." Izaya praised her.

"And based on that... I should say that you are careful, with a bit of perfectionist streak. You are also quite thoughtful and intuitive. You somehow knew, thanks to your psychic ability, about my preference of food and made it according to my taste."

"You flattered me too much Orihara-san..."

Izaya then rose from his seat and turned towards the window behind the desk. He observed the crowds below through the glass.

 _Ah, Izaya right? The one who looks over the crowd... very fitting given your nature and personality._

Izumi mused on the meaning of Izaya's name while gazing thoughtfully at his back.

The snow started to fall behind the glass window.

 _Lonesome... cold... but beautiful..._

 _What a breathtaking picture..._

"Hey, Orihara-san..." Izumi broke the silence.

"What Izumi-chan?" Izaya responded, still looking outside the window.

"Before... you said that you love all humans right?"

"What about it?" His amused smile was reflected on the glass.

Izumi then walked quietly towards Izaya and embraced him from behind.

"You may seem cold-blooded... but you are very human. And your heart... it is more brittle than anybody else. So much that... if someone fills it with human love... or betrayal... it will break easily." Izumi spoke softly into Izaya's right ear, with a hint of pity, sadness, and amusement. Her voice was like the whisper of a siren.

"That is why... you love humanity. Not to accept, not to face it... but to avoid it."

Izumi's lips moved closer and lightly kissed the tip of his ear.

"Should I give you my love and break you?"

* * *

Ikebukuro

7 PM

The snow was still falling when I arrived at Ikebukuro Station. I then exited the station from the East Exit and waited outside.

Despite the cold, there were a lot of people on the streets, and most of them were young couples enjoying the loving mood of Valentine's Day.

"What are you doing here, Izumi?"

"Ah, good evening Heiwajima-san. I have been waiting for you." I smiled.

"Huh? You were waiting for me?" Heiwajima asked in confusion.

"Yup. I know that you will appear here somehow..."

"What does that mean?"

"Hmm... it means that maybe I have sixth sense?" I jokingly said.

"Anyway... would you walk me home, Heiwajima-san?"

"Sure. This is the first time you ask." He shrugged.

We just ambled along the streets, enjoying the silence. And before we knew it, we had arrived in front of my apartment. It was only a 12-minute walk after all.

"Thank you Heiwajima-san. Here." I handed him the chocolate.

Heiwajima blanked out for a while but then asked.

"What is this?"

"Chocolate of course. I hope you enjoy it." I grinned.

I then stood on tiptoe to whisper.

"It is homemade by the way..."

There was a faint tinge of redness on his face after I told him that.

 _How adorable... Are you blushing Heiwajima-san?_

"Shizuo..."

"Hmm?"

"Just call me Shizuo."

"Well, bye Shizuo-san. Be careful on your way home." I waved and walked into the apartment building.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **1\. Honmei choco (** **本命チョコ** **)** **in Japan is chocolate given by women on Valentine's Day to men whom the giver has romantic feelings for. Tomo choco is** **chocolate to those you consider as "friends" in this case friends who happen to be males but have no real romantic feelings for. Source: wikipedia and a forum on the net.**

 **2\. I had so much fun writing this chapter. I really like the scene between Izumi and Izaya, so I hope you guys like it too. Thanks for reading and have a nice day!**

 **3\. The next chapter will be based on the second volume of Durarara!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: This story is a fan-fiction based on 'Durarara!' by Narita Ryogo.**

* * *

 **Chapter 18. Demon Blade**

Late February

Chatroom

Tanaka Taro: Demon blade?

Rei: Seriously?

Kanra: That is right! Did you know about that, Taro?

Tanaka Taro: How would I have known about that? Setton, is not that your forte?

Setton: A demon blade... like Muramasa, you mean?

Rei: Ah, Muramasa huh? The blood thirsty blade that cuts indiscriminately... even the members of Tokugawa family.

Tanaka Taro: Oh? You seem like you know a lot Rei-san?

Rei: Well, not really. I just think that swords are awesome.

Kanra: No! It is not Muramasa! That is more of a cursed blade, the kind that brings misfortune just for having it. This is a different thing! It is more like something out of a manga, where it controls your mind and makes you slice people!

Rei: Sounds interesting.

Setton: But... I thought most of those were just called Muramasa.

Tanaka Taro: Like a Muramasa blade?

Setton: "You decapitated your foe!"

Tanaka Taro: That is from _Wizardry_ , right? You are such a gamer, Setton-san.

Kanra: Hey, stop going off on tangents!

Setton: Oh, sorry.

Tanaka Taro: Sorry, Kanra-san.

Rei: Please continue Kanra-san.

Kanra: Well, listen up! Ikebukuro is buzzing over this demon blade! There is a mysterious murderer who appears in the back alleys late at night, swinging the deadly weapon! There are no fatalities yet, but whoever it is has been going hog wild with a katana on their victims!

Tanaka Taro: That kind of sounds like it should be fatal...

Kanra: Apparently they go just shallow enough not to kill! Some of the victims have had their arms cut and stuff!

Setton: It just sounds like your average crime spree to me.

Rei: You jump to conclusion too fast, Setton-san. Tell us more.

Kanra: Whoever it is just slips in and slices the victim before they can escape, with these eerie inhuman moves! Whoever is responsible must not be human!

Setton: But why does that make it a demon blade?

Kanra: Heh-heh, well, just between us... one of the victims got a look at the face of whoever slashed them, and it was apparently totally wild.

Tanaka Taro: What do you mean, wild?

Kanra: Like, with glowing red eyes, as if they were under some kind of hypnosis. Like they had been bitten by a vampire and put under his control!

Rei: Possessed?

Setton: Okay, so it is a vampire then. LOL!

Kanra: No, Setton, that is silly! There is no such thing as vampires, obviously!

Setton: ...

Kanra: Oh, I am only kidding! Do not be mad, Setton!

Setton: But I am not mad (grr!)

Tanaka Taro: Yes, you are, yes, you are! LOL!

Rei: Everything is possible in this world. You usually do not believe in something because you have not seen it.

Rei: But we already know that there is a headless rider since we have seen it, so there could be a demon blade, too.

Setton: The headless rider... They were just doing a TV report on that one.

Tanaka Taro: Yes, along with a segment on a flying girl with green skin. One of those paranormal shows.

Kanra: And Setton always makes sure to watch any TV show about the headless rider!

Rei: Why is that, I wonder?

Tanaka Taro: Are you a fan?

Setton: No... I would not say that. But my partner, the man I live with, certainly is.

Rei: Partner?

Tanaka Taro: Wait, Setton-san, are you married?

Setton: No, not yet...

Rei: Not yet? Then, are you planning to get married?

Kanra: But you live together?! Eeek!

Setton: Why does being a partner make him my lover? And wait... do you know my gender?

Tanaka Taro: Um, you are... a woman, right?

Kanra: It is really obvious from the way you talk. It is feminine, but not over the top enough to be a guy pretending to be one.

[PM Mode] Rei: Are you talking about yourself Orihara-san?

Tanaka Taro: Did you think we had never noticed before this?

Setton: Oh my, look at the time. I have got an early morning tomorrow, so good night.

\- Setton has left the chatroom -

Rei: I think she just ran away.

Tanaka Taro: Yup.

Kanra: She certainly did.

[PM Mode] Tanaka Taro: ... Are you just poking fun at yourself when you talk about people pretending to be effeminate online, Izaya-san?

Kanra: Eeeeek! Taro is harassing me with PMs!

Rei: Are you actually a pervert Tanaka Taro-san?

Tanaka Taro: No, that is not it! It is not like that!

[PM Mode] Tanaka Taro: No, but seriously, who is Setton-san?

[PM Mode] Tanaka Taro: Is she someone I know? Karisawa-san, maybe?

[PM Mode] Kanra: Hmm. It is a secret.

[PM Mode] Rei: By the way, thanks for the interesting info Orihara-san.

[PM Mode] Kanra: Anytime, Izumi-chan!

[PM Mode] Rei: What kind of person wants to live with a headless rider?

[PM Mode] Kanra: A pervert.

[PM Mode] Rei: ... I will know the answer later I suppose.

Kanra: Well, I should be logging off now. Careful not to get taken over by the demon blade!

Rei: Me too. Be careful out there.

\- Kanra has left the chatroom -

\- Rei has left the chatroom -

Tanaka Taro: Okay, good night.

Tanaka Taro: ... And really, it was not like that! There was no sexual harassment going on!

\- Tanaka Taro has left the chatroom -

\- There is currently no one in the chatroom -

\- There is currently no one in the chatroom -

\- There is currently no one in the chatroom -

\- There is currently no one in the chatroom -

\- There is currently no one in the chatroom -

\- Saika has entered the chatroom -

Saika: Person

Saika: Love

Saika: Not

Saika: Weak

Saika: Want

Saika: Love

Saika: Want

Saika: Want

\- Saika has left the chatroom -

\- There is currently no one in the chatroom -

\- There is currently no one in the chatroom -

\- There is currently no one in the chatroom -

* * *

\- On a news program:

"Today we pick up where we left off in the ongoing story of the serial attacks in Ikebukuro.

"As you see, the total number of victims has risen to fifteen as of now. As the attacks have all occurred at night, eyewitness details are scarce, and most of the victims' reports are vague...

"Furthermore, a number of similar incidents happened five years ago, and as no culprit was ever identified, the police are investigating the possibility that the same person is responsible...

"There is also the case of the so-called Headless Rider in Ikebukuro since last year, a figure running wild with a massive weapon, whom some citizens are saying could be involved."

\- Headlines from a weekly magazine:

"Eerie News! The Creepy Relationship Between the Headless Rider and the Street Attacks"

"Is It the Same Culprit As Five Years Ago?"

"Why the Police Have Not Caught the Serial Slasher"

"A Modern-Day _Tsujigiri_? The Madness of the Katana"

"Evil Spirit? Motorcycle Gangster? Performer? Examining the Headless Rider's Identity."

* * *

Hiro's apartment

Afternoon

"Guys, I think we need to lay low for a bit these days..." Izumi said with concern in her voice.

"Eh? Why?" Hiro innocently asked.

"Have you seen the news?"

"The slasher?" Toru guessed.

"Yeah. I have a bad feeling about this. Just be careful when you go out at night. And if possible, try to avoid going out late at night."

"I think it would be wise to have a brief hiatus for our safety." Ryo voiced his opinion.

"Now you are not just like my mom, but our band's mother..." Hiro commented, which made Izumi elbowed him in the stomach.

"I am serious Hiro. I mean, do not you think that perhaps, there is a purpose for slashing the victims without killing them? And also, most of the victims' reports are vague and strange... They said the slasher had a wild look, with glowing red eyes, like they were possessed."

"Are not you just paranoid?" Tatsuya asked.

"Tatsuya... Just trust in Izumi's intuition."

It was rare for Hiro to say something with a serious tone in his voice, and because of that they understood the danger of the situation.

"Got it." Toru finally said after a long pause.

"Then let us wrap our practice up and head home." Ryo nodded.

* * *

Ikebukuro

Night

The black rider, Celty Sturluson, was faced with a single street punk who trembled in terror.

The thug looked to be in his late thirties. But there was no hint of the dignity or presence that age should have given him. Celty had been in the presence of yakuza officers around the same age as this man, and it was a keen reminder that even after living the same number of years, individual human beings could be extremely different in nature.

The thug terrified into paralysis. And all she had to do was collect the money this poor slob ran off with. That was all she had to do, and it should have ended at that.

But...

Celty was frozen still. She could not get down off the motorcycle to pick up the bag filled with money. The reason was extremely simple.

A blade.

Without warning, a silver blade grew out of the arm that held her scythe.

Someone was behind her, piercing her arm all the way through with the blade.

She spun the bike around, squeezing the handlebar. The motorcycle's engine brayed like an organic creature, and it made a completely inorganic 180-degree turn in place without rolling its wheels.

The next instant, the vein of light flashed.

The katana's long blade reflected the light from above with a beautiful arc, and the glowing circle passed right through Celty's neck.

In total silence, Celty's helmet flew through the air, leaving only unspeaking darkness swirling above the neck of her riding suit.

It was the slasher of Ikebukuro.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **1\. Wizardry is a role playing game.**

 **2\. Tsujigiri** **(辻斬り or 辻斬 _tsuji-giri_ , literally 'crossroads killing') is a Japanese term for a practice when a samurai, after receiving a new katana or developing a new fighting style or weapon, tests its effectiveness by attacking a human opponent, usually a random defenseless passer-by, in many cases during nighttime. Source: Wikipedia.**

 **3\. Most of the content of this chapter was taken from Chapter 1 of Durarara! Volume 2.**

 **4\. Thank you for reading and please leave a review. Have a great day!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: This story is a fan-fiction based on 'Durarara!' by Narita Ryogo.**

* * *

 **Chapter 19. Strongest**

There were stars sparkling in the winter sky, an all too faint layer of glitter next to the brightness of the city lights.

Off the main road, Sonohara Anri headed into a narrow alley in the direction of her cheap apartment.

There were no passing crowds. The streetlights cast lonely colors on the empty alleys.

Anri stood at the side of the road and heaved a sigh.

The next instant, a light shock ran through her back, and she lost her balance, falling to the ground.

Three girls wearing Raira Academy uniform stood in the glow of the streetlight, throwing cascade of insults to Anri. And one of them put a foot on Anri's shoulder, knocking her over backward as she rose.

As they barraged her with jeers, Anri felt an illusion that she was actually something from another world, watching all of this happen to her from afar, within a picture frame.

But then... the world within the picture frame went abnormal.

A human figure appeared beneath the streetlight, right behind the girls.

The man's eyes were strikingly red, so red.

In the next instant, the world was dyed red.

And there were sounds of screaming.

But in the midst of blood and screams, Anri just sat on the asphalt, watching the scene impassively.

* * *

Chatroom

Kanra: Hey, did you hear? A student at Raira Academy finally got hit by the slasher!

Tanaka Taro: What? Are you serious?

Rei: Seriously? Ikebukuro is not safe these days...

Setton: Yeah, it is violent out there.

Kanra: Deadly dead serious! A first-year girl!

Tanaka Taro: Sorry, I have got to make a call. BRB.

Rei: ? Is it someone you know Tanaka-san?

[PM Mode] Kanra: Do not worry, it was not your girlfriend.

[PM Mode] Tanaka Taro: Oh... thanks. But I am still worried about her, so...

Setton: Hmm. Do you know where it happened?

Kanra: Well, it was a little ways away from Zoshigaya Station in south Ikebukuro.

Kanra: I am sure you can find it from all the cop cars still hanging around the area.

Setton: I see... Uh, sorry, I have got to drop out for a bit.

Rei: ?

Kanra: Eww! Setton, are you going to find the spot and gawk?

Setton. No, nothing like that. See you later.

\- Setton has left the chatroom -

Kanra: Argh, no fun!

Rei: I guess she is going to visit the crime scene?

Tanaka Taro: Sorry, I have got to head out, too.

Kanra: Oh? Were you able to reach her phone?

Rei: ? I am lost here...

Tanaka Taro: She is with the police now or something... Apparently she saw it happen...

Tanaka Taro: So I am going over there.

Rei: Eh? Someone you know is a witness?

Kanra: Really?!

\- Tanaka Taro has left the chatroom -

Rei: Hmm... It is just two of us.

[PM Mode] Rei: So the black rider and the founder of Dollars are going there to investigate huh?

[PM Mode] Kanra: Yup. How about you Izumi-chan? You are not interested in this?

[PM Mode] Rei: No, now is not a good time.

Kanra: Then, I suppose we cannot meet up today.

Kanra: Guess I will pop out too then.

\- Saika has entered the chatroom -

Saika: Cut

Kanra: Oh?

Rei: ? The troll again? I saw the log.

Saika: Today, cut

Saika: Cut

Kanra: Ugh! Yes, it is that troll that was here yesterday! Do not you make trouble again! Hmph!

Rei: ...

Saika: Cut

Saika: Cut

Saika: Cut

Kanra: How did you even find the address for this chatroom anyways?

Saika: Wrong. Weak, wrong, cannot, rule

Saika: Not, enough, love

Kanra: You have been trolling other Ikebukuro-related chat boards, have not you?

Rei: Uh, I think it is no use to talk with this person. Perhaps it is some kind of bot?

Saika: Want, love, human

Saika: Cut, but, wrong, not, enough

Rei: ... Just kick the person out from the chatroom.

Kanra: Take that!

Kanra: There, I banned the troll. Teehee.

Rei: Well, that is a relief. Let us leave the chatroom.

Kanra: So long!

\- Rei has left the chatroom -

\- Kanra has left the chatroom -

\- There is currently no one in the chatroom -

\- There is currently no one in the chatroom -

\- There is currently no one in the chatroom -

\- Saika has entered the chatroom -

Saika: More

Saika: More, strong

Saika: Strong, wish, love

Saika: Wish, is, want

Saika: More, strong, love, want

Saika: Want, love

Saika: Want to love, strong, human

Saika: Human, strong, who, ask

Saika: Ask, who, strong

Saika: Ikebukuro

Saika: Wish, me, mother, mother

Saika: Mothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermothermother

\- Saika has left the chatroom -

\- There is currently no one in the chatroom -

* * *

Ikebukuro

Afternoon

I was on my way to a convenience store near my apartment when a man in his thirties, who said that he was a tabloid writer, suddenly stopped me in my tracks and asked for a brief interview about the strongest person in Ikebukuro.

"The strongest, huh?

"Well, in a brawl, that would be Heiwajima Shizuo obviously." I answered matter-of-factly.

"Ah, there is one more person... He is in Shinjuku though. Not as strong as Heiwajima Shizuo but... how should I explain this. He is dangerous."

"Who is this person?"

"Orihara Izaya."

When his name left my lips, I could not help but smile a bit.

 _Yes. He is dangerous. And I am attracted to danger._

"I see. Thank you for your time."

"By the way... if you somehow meet Heiwajima Shizuo, you should be careful." I warned him.

I could sense that today's event would create trouble in Ikebukuro.

 _There is a high chance this may involve Shizuo..._

 _Should I warn him?_

I took my smartphone out and typed something.

'Shizuo-san, please be careful today. It is difficult to explain but... I have a feeling that somehow bad things will happen to you. If you meet a magazine writer who irritates you, try not to hurt him. Be safe."

* * *

The writer then continued his journey to find the answer.

Black rider. Yakuza. Simon. Izaya. Founder of Dollars. Yellow Scarves' shogun. Shizuo.

He found that all of the local citizens and self-proclaimed "well-informed" folks had their own predecided mental image of who the "strongest" in Ikebukuro was.

The varied answers were fascinating to him.

Then the writer went to interview a lieutenant of Awakusu-kai, Shiki Haruya.

"Heiwajima Shizuo.

"We tell the new kids, do not mess with him.

"I mean, if you have seen Shizuo fight at all, you would understand... He just exudes cool. When you watch him fight, he looks cool the way that Godzilla looks cool to the kid watching it. I guess that sums it up. At any rate, he is one crazy bastard.

"Gotta admit, I have got some admiration for him. Wish I could tear things up the way he does...

"But I need you to keep that part close to your chest.

"So, Mr. Reporter, I hear your daughter is in high school. Raira Academy, was it?

"When you called about setting up this interview, we did some background checks on you.

"Now, now, no need to stare holes through me. We have our own source of information.

"Do not worry, we are not low enough that we would threaten an amateur.

"But... only if you do not pick a fight with us first.

"So please keep that information out of your article, pal."

Most of what he had on that tape was unusable. But he was sure that, if anyone else brought up his name, then he would be onto something.

And at this point, the writer decided to get in touch with the black man named Simon who people in town mentioned.

"Oh, Shizuo. My best pal.

"Oh, fighting, very bad. Get very hungry, need food coupons. You eat sushi, good for you."

When the reporter was about to leave, the Russian chef who ran Russia Sushi spoke to him in fluent Japanese.

"Sir... Simon is a pacifist, so you would not get anything worthwhile about fighting out of him."

"N-no, I am just asking who is the strongest fighter around here..."

"You would not get anything out of Simon about Heiwajima. He will just tell you he is a good guy. If you truly want to know about the real Heiwajima..."

* * *

"Who told you about me?" Izaya demanded with expressionless eyes, rolling a shogi piece in his fingers. "If they even knew my address, it must be a pretty close client of mine..."

The tabloid writer was surprised to find that the informant was much younger than he expected. Very young to have a suite in a high-class apartment building in Shinjuku, and unnaturally young to be such a well-connected information dealer. He assumed that Izaya was not much older than twenty.

The reporter heard about Izaya from the chef at the sushi place, but his name also turned up several times during his first round of surveys on the street from the more knowledgeable types.

"My source is confidential." The man said, covering for the sushi chef.

Izaya put on an inscrutable smile, leaning back against the sofa.

"Claiming confidentiality to an information dealer... Fine, that is your prerogative."

The writer then began to describe the course of his research. And to his surprise, Izaya had apparently been reading his articles.

"You write 'Tokyo Disaster,' do not you? The column about odd events and the various groups active around Tokyo... If I recall correctly, the next issue will be having a big Ikebukuro special."

For a moment, the reporter looked relieved, thinking that things would proceed smoothly.

But how wrong he was.

"Is your high schooler well?"

"What...?"

"Was not Shiki-san from the Awakusu-kai considerate?"

That was when he understood everything.

The source of information the yakuza lieutenant had mentioned was none other than Orihara Izaya.

Anger, frustration, and a hint of fear interlocked within the magazine writer.

"But... enough about that. The strongest in Ikebukuro, huh? Well, there are plenty of tough people around this neighborhood... but if I had to narrow it down to one... In a fistfight, it is Simon. But if anything goes... that is probably going to be Shizu-chan."

"Shizu-chan?"

"Heiwajima Shizuo. I do not know what kind of job he has now. I do not even want to know."

"Um... so who is this Shizuo guy?"

"I do not even want to talk about him. I know him, and that is enough. No one else should."

"You cannot toss me a bone?"

"I try to find out more about him because he gives me so much trouble, but even that is unpleasant enough..."

After a little bit more pushing from the reporter, Izaya gave a creepy smile.

"All right, I am a busy guy, so I can tell you about two people who know him well. If you want more, these are your sources."

One of the contacts' name was Sato Izumi, who he had interviewed before on the street.

"You seem like you recognize one of these names? So you have met Izumi-chan. But she did not tell you much I suppose?

"Why was that I wonder?

"Anyway... Good luck Niekawa Shuuji-san."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **1.** **Most of the content of this chapter was taken from Chapter 2 and 3 of Durarara! Volume 2.**

 **2\. Actually, Shiki's first name was not mentioned in the novel. His first name was only released in the official Durarara! website.**

 **3\. Question for readers: Why did Izumi warn Shizuo about the possible trouble that he might face? Share your theory with me!**

 **4\. I am going to fix punctuation errors in the previous chapters since I have a few days off from work. I have a lot of free time~**

 **5\. As usual, thank you for reading and have a great day!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: This story is a fan-fiction based on 'Durarara!' by Narita Ryogo.**

 **This chapter is the longest individual chapter I have written. I planned to split this into two chapters at first, but then decided not to. Anyway, hope you enjoy reading this one!**

* * *

 **Chapter 20. Liquid Nitrogen to Boiling Oil**

"Hello?"

"Hello, good evening. I am Niekawa Shuuji from Tokyo Warrior magazine. I would like to..."

Beep beep beep!

Before the person finished speaking Izumi had put the phone down.

 _Looks like he knows I am quite close to Shizuo-san._

 _I bet he got my number from Orihara-san._

 _Want to dig info, eh? Sorry Niekawa-san, I cannot do that._

* * *

Ikebukuro

Afternoon

" _Hello, I am Celty the courier_." Celty showed a PDA to the reporter with a message typed out on the screen.

Since Izumi did not respond when the tabloid writer called her, he decided to skip Izumi and interview Celty instead. And when he showed up at the park at their meeting time, he was taken aback because he met a strange person wearing an all-black riding suit and an oddly shaped helmet.

There was no way to see inside the helmet, so he the writer could not tell if it was a man or a woman. At first, he thought it was a man, but then the slender form told him that it might be a woman.

He never counted on meeting the Black Rider urban legend in a place like this.

"Umm... it is nice to meet you. Orihara-san told me that you knew Shizuo-san," the reporter said for starters.

Celty then hammered away at the PDA keyboard with frightful speed.

" _Heiwajima Shizuo, right? Yes, he is a very close friend. To me, at least_."

"I see..."

" _He can be scary when he is mad though._ "

"Interesting... Well, as a matter of fact, I am taking statements for an article where I will be figuring out who the number-one fighter in the neighborhood is."

" _Ahh, your magazine likes topics like that, does not it? You did that motorcycle gang ranking, and the ones who got left off the list tossed Molotov cocktails at the company office, did not they?_ "

"Well, that was not my article... But from what I have heard so far, some people claim you might be the strongest in town..."

Celty went quiet for a moment, with shoulders trembling as if she was laughing.

" _Me? No way! They are just afraid of the way I look._

" _Shizuo is much stronger than me. I doubt there is another person in this town who can beat him in a pure fight._ "

"He is that tough?"

" _Oh yeah, real tough. He is dangerous, it is almost moving. It is not just a brawling or martial arts thing - it is like he lives in a different world from the rest of us. If you told me he was a werewolf or a lizardman, I would believe you. Oh, but I hope he is not an alien. Those grays are traumatic to me._ "

Celty's typing was even faster than a spoken conversation. The text struck the reporter as excited, as though Celty was bragging about this Heiwajima Shizuo.

" _It is not that he does some MMA thing or anything. It is like, you know how even the toughest combatant will go down if they get shot? How to explain this..._

" _That is it - his strength is like the power of a gun. Even comparing him to other makes no sense._ "

After they discussed a few other topics, the Tokyo Disaster writer finally learned where Shizuo worked. And once he was certain that his article research was done, he could not hold his curiosity.

"Um... might I see under your helmet?

"Err, sorry, I did not mean any offense. I am just curious," he stammered.

" _Sure thing. If I take this helmet off, you will see exactly what I am. Plus, you still would not be able to write an article about my true identity... You would not even be able to tell anyone about it_ ," Celty typed on the PDA without any hesitation.

Niekawa Shuuji's curiosity caused him sitting on the ground, completely paralyzed.

* * *

Niekawa Shuuji continued with his interviews, and next was the color gang wearing yellow bandanna called Yellow Scarves. He made contact with one of them and succeeded in getting introduced to one of the group's officers.

"The Yellow Scarves' Shogun always says that there are two guys never to mess with. One of them is a guy you should never let talk you into anything, and that is Orihara Izaya...

"The other one is this guy named Heiwajima Shizuo, who wears bartender's outfit and sunglasses. We are not supposed to go near him... I have seen that guy in a fight once, and he was a freaking monster."

Then, he got a statement from someone in the mysterious Dollars organization.

"There is one thing we can brag about! The Dollars have this guy named Shizuo who is a real monster! And Simon, and Izaya, and even the Black Rider are in the Dollars! I am serious! Is not that nuts?!"

Through the magazine's connections, Shuuji was also able to speak with someone connected to the police.

"The biggest problematic child out there? Excluding the slasher? Hmm... well, in terms of crime, that is Orihara Izaya. But the biggest pain in the ass would have to be Heiwajima Shizuo, I would say.

"Once there was a time when the cops were closing in on Orihara Izaya... and they got Shizuo's name as an accomplice. Shameful as it is to say, the guy in charge of that case got fooled on that one. It was a frame job. Anyway, they were bringing him in as a minor, and he ended up proving the charges were false, but he got locked up anyway for obstruction of justice and property damage in the process."

"Property damage?"

"I actually thought it sounded far-fetched, but I will tell you... As he kept resisting arrest, what do you suppose he destroyed?"

"I do not know... A bicycle? Windshield on a patrol car?"

"A vending machine."

That baffled the reporter, and what the police officer said next had him at a complete loss for words.

"He threw it."

"Huh?"

"He threw the vending machine - at a cop car!"

* * *

Izumi's apartment

Evening

I just could not ignore the nagging feeling...

"The slasher, the chatroom troll Saika... Love, strong, human? Ikebukuro..." I muttered to myself, lying on my bed while looking at the ceiling.

Think deeper Izumi...

"Slasher, Saika, love, strong, human, Ikebukuro... Wait."

It just clicked. It probably sounded like a crazy hypothesis, but she felt that her prediction was right.

"Shizuo-san is the strongest person in Ikebukuro... I think it is not a coincidence that whenever someone gets hit by the slasher, Saika always appears in the chatroom. So I can assume that Saika is the slasher. And then, Saika said it wants to love strong human, which may mean Shizuo-san? There is also an upcoming article about the strongest person in Ikebukuro."

The timing is just too perfect to be a coincidence.

"Maybe Shizuo-san would be the next target...

"But what is the connection between the slasher and the reporter? Both seek the strongest person in Ikebukuro... Could it be that the tabloid writer is the slasher? Ah well, I do not know."

I could no longer hold the building excitement and finally let out a laugh.

"How I love Ikebukuro... such an insane place. I cannot wait to see what will happen."

* * *

Niekawa Shuuji was attempting to meet with that very monster, Heiwajima Shizuo.

His inner boy was knock-kneed with excitement at seeing the strongest person in Ikebukuro in the flesh, but his adult self was trembling in fear.

He stood before a small building, the kind of place that had a vibrant, constant flow of tenants in and out. There was no sign outside.

"You the dude who wants to see Shizuo?"

A man came out of the building. The reporter thought that Tanaka Tom's tanned skin and dread-locked hair suited him well, with a face that made him look like a host in a nightclub. He found it hard to gauge what Tom did for a living because of his typical street fashion clothes.

"He is upstairs, so he will come down if you want... but do not you dare piss him off."

"Okay..."

"Seriously, do not piss him off. It is a huge pain in the ass," Tom repeated.

"Here is my advice: Do not talk. Ask what you want to ask, then shut up and look like an idiot while Shizuo talks. Wrap it up with a simple 'thank you very much,' and even Shizuo should not be too angry with you."

Tom disappeared back into the building as the writer mulled it over.

After a minute or two, someone else came out of the building.

"Hi... I am Heiwajima."

Shuuji was too busy with his own thoughts that he completely failed to realize that someone was already standing in front of him.

Luxury-brand sunglasses... and a slender, gentle-looking face.

"Heiwajima... Shizuo?" the reporter asked, confused. Shizuo just nodded flatly.

It was hard for the writer to believe the situation.

Shameful as it is to admit, he had built up his own mental image of the monster named Heiwajima Shizuo. His body was covered in steel muscles as thick and huge as tires, with the icy expression of a movie assassin, not to mention scars. On top of that, a full-body tattoo of a dragon...

The only part of his imagination that matched was the height. The sunglasses that hid his gentle eyes did not match the man's atmosphere at all. They looked like a sad attempt to add cool character to his look.

That was what Niekawa Shuuji thought.

He was half-desperate now because of the troubling development. If he wrote up an article proclaiming this fellow as the strongest man in Ikebukuro, and anyone saw him in real life, he feared that he would look like a flat-out liar.

He held his external agitation in check to speak to Shizuo. At first, he had been planning to move over to a cafe for the interview, but he no longer had the patience or consideration.

"Well... there are two or three things I would like to ask you, Shizuo-san..."

"'Kay," Shizuo grunted.

"I have heard lots of stories about you, Shizuo... Are you often involved in fights and confrontations?"

"Um... no?"

Shizuo had a look on his face that said, Why would you even ask that?

"Really?"

"Actually, I detest violence."

Shuuji's inner boy went right to sleep, and the human instincts within him no longer felt any kind of fear or expectation towards the man.

"What do you think of the town these days?"

"Not much... It is a nice place."

"I hear you know the famous Headless Rider."

"Celty? Yeah, Celty is great."

Just as the tabloid reporter was about to ask about Celty's statement about him being the strongest man in Ikebukuro, Shizuo spun around on his heel and started walking back into the building.

"H-huh? Where are you going?"

"... That was all, right?"

"Huh?"

"You said you had 'two or three questions,' did not you? Well, I answered three, and I have nothing more to say."

Shuuji decided his best chance at drawing out the conversation was to challenge him a little.

"Okay, just one more. They say you fought with the police and threw a vending machine... but that is not true, is it?"

"One... two... three..." Shizuo whispered to himself.

"Izaya-san just tricked you into..."

Flew.

Niekawa Shuuji was flying, not just his body, but his wits as well.

A shock ran through his back, telling him that he had fallen back onto the ground.

"...! Ugh! Aghk... gah..."

The writer gurgled weakly as both intense pain and numbness fought over his body. His brain scrambled to process what had happened.

The moment Heiwajima Shizuo turned back, he felt a tremendous impact on his throat, and the next instant he was in the air.

He felt sure his head would tear off - the same way one might feel that having the Grim Reaper's scythe pressed to one's neck means the head would be cut off.

Shizuo hit him with one of the most basic pro wrestling moves in the book.

Again, Shuuji was lying on the asphalt. His eyes were foggy.

The shadow of Heiwajima Shizuo stood over him, speaking softly.

"The reason I was turning around to leave..."

Shizuo's voice was indeed quiet - and chilling. Some people had voices of ice, like Orihara Izaya for instance.

But if Izaya had the kind of chill that froze his listener, this one was like liquid nitrogen boiling.

"... was because you were asking stupid questions, and I was about to snap.

"See, I was leaving to make sure I did not end up killing you.

"Izumi had warned me to be especially careful today.

"I even tried the counting method..."

Finally, Shuuji's vision was recovering from the shock of the blow.

And that was when he realized...

That the sunglasses that rested on Shizuo's nose bridge seem to strangely suit him now. Those odd, out-of-place shades were now a perfectly natural feature of his face.

The shape and bridge of his nose had not changed; neither had his hair. He was not wearing a particularly different expression. The only thing that seemed to have changed from moments ago was the slight smile playing on his lips. But that smile itself had no effect on the look of the glasses.

It was the air.

"Who said you could go to sleep?"

Shizuo grabbed the reporter's collar, and for an instant he could not breathe.

Every part of Niekawa Shuuji's body screamed in terror, feeling Shizuo's incredible, monstrous strength.

"Were you actually trying to piss me off? Huh? I am not an idiot, you know. I can tell that much. But just because I understand it does not mean I would not get pissed off...

"So I give in to the provocation and get mad, I lose? Fine, I lose then. That is all right. Because I do not stand to suffer for losing this one, do I? Besides, you won, and your reward is that I kill you...

"Aaaaaaaaaa!"

The howl of Heiwajima Shizuo echoed off the alleyway.

The liquid nitrogen suddenly transformed into boiling oil, spitting all of the rage stored in his body outward.

"Raaaah! I told you, I hate violence! Did not I?! And now you forced me to get violent! Who do you think you are? God? You think you are God?! Huh?!"

Shuuji was flying again.

Shizuo just picked him up and threw him forward like one would throw a baseball.

After a few yards of flight, he crashed to the ground and rolled across the asphalt.

Is he going to kill me? He wondered.

"Hey, Shizuo."

Tanaka Tom's voice was like a voice of salvation.

"... What is it, Tom-san?"

"Remember that cup of instant ramen you opened? It has been three minutes."

"... Seriously?"

And Heiwajima Shizuo reentered the building as if nothing had just happened.

* * *

That night

Chatroom

Kanra: Did you hear? Today's slasher victim was the guy who wrote the "Tokyo Disaster" articles for _Tokyo Warrior_.

Rei: Hmm...

Tanaka Taro: Oh, a magazine writer?

Setton: ... Uh, is that true?

Kanra: When have I ever lied to you?

Setton: Is he alright?

Kanra: Well, apparently he is in a coma, critical condition! For some reason, he had bruises all over his body in addition to the slash wound. But the cut is already scabbing over, so they are saying that he probably got it earlier in the day!

Rei: Bruises huh?

[PM Mode] Kanra: You do not seem surprised, Izumi-chan?

[PM Mode] Rei: To tell you the truth, I kind of predicted this would happen.

[PM Mode] Kanra: What do you mean?

[PM Mode] Rei: The reporter, Niekawa Shuuji, met Shizuo and pissed him off. What do you think would happen? That explains the bruises. And both the writer and slasher seek the strongest person in Ikebukuro. So I assume that somehow there will be a connection between them.

[PM Mode] Kanra: Good point. My, you are pretty talented in investigation stuffs! You should consider working for me.

[PM Mode] Rei: Thanks but no thanks.

Setton: Is that so?

Tanaka Taro: ? Do you know him?

Setton: Err, no... But I am a fan of those articles.

Tanaka Taro: Oh. Maybe I should start reading them...

Tanaka Taro: Anyway, these slashings are getting scary, are not they?

Rei: Yeah. I never go out past seven these days.

Kanra: Really! I cannot even set foot outside!

Setton: Hmm. I wish the police would get a handle on this.

\- Saika has entered the chatroom -

Kanra: Here we gooooo!

Rei: Again?

Setton: Ah.

Tanaka Taro: Huh?

Saika: Cut

Saika: Cut, today

Kanra: Well, I wish you would cut it out instead!

Tanaka Taro: What is going on with this person? I saw the logs earlier...

Kanra: It is a troll who keeps messing up all the Ikebukuro boards and chatrooms!

Setton: Evening, Saika.

Rei: It is no use Setton-san...

Setton: ?

Saika: Cut, person, but, still, bad

Kanra: It would not respond to our messages.

Setton: I am guessing it is a bot of some kind.

Rei: That is what I thought.

Saika: Must, love, more

Tanaka Taro: Kinda creepy, is not it?

Saika: Love, strong person. So. Want love, strong person.

Kanra: But it seems like it is very slowly typing better sentences...

Tanaka Taro: Cannot you just ban it from the chat?

Kanra: I keep doing it... but it does not work.

Saika: Must, cut, more

Setton: Wow, really?

Rei: Just ignore it...

Kanra: I keep banning the individual remote host, but it just pops in with a different host.

Tanaka Taro: Is it using proxy?

Saika: Must, get, closer

Kanra: Hmm, does not seem to be the case.

Kanra: The one common thread is that all the hosts are located around Ikebukuro.

Kanra: So I think there is a high probability it is someone living around here.

Kanra: Could be just jumping from manga cafe to manga cafe, for example.

Saika: To, strong person

Setton: It seems like the other message boards do not know how to deal with it either.

Tanaka Taro: You know, the way it keeps talking about cutting people...

Rei: Oh? You finally notice? About time...

Kanra: Are you thinking what I am thinking, Taro?

Tanaka Taro: What if it is the slasher?

Kanra: Ha-ha-ha-ha! Nice.

Setton: ... I can see why you would think that. This is clearly irrational activity.

Saika: Keeping cutting

Tanaka Taro: Keeping cutting?

Saika: Get, stronger

Setton: ... It really does seem to be connected to the slasher.

Kanra: As a matter of fact... it always shows up on the days when I announce there has been a new victim.

Tanaka Taro: Always? You have only said it twice.

Rei: No. Kanra-san is right actually. If you pay attention to the news you will realize that. Absolutely not a coincidence, right?

Rei: And...

Rei: I come up with a theory... that this Saika person is looking for a strong person. Who is the first person that you can think of?

Rei: Do you know? The writer is working on a new article titled "The Strongest Person in Ikebukuro."

Rei: Think there is a connection?

Kanra: That is an interesting way of thinking Rei!

Tanaka Taro: ! This is creepy.

Setton: Now that you say it...

Tanaka Taro: I think we should just leave the chatroom until it calms down.

Kanra: Oh, do not worry. It usually leaves pretty soon.

Saika: In the end, approach, cut, I, love

Saika: Found, goal, found, love

Setton: Well let us hope so.

Saika: Heiwajima

Saika: Shizuo

Saika: Heiwajima, Shizuo

Saika: Hewajima, Heiwajima, Hewajima, Heiwajima, Hewajima, Heiwajima

Saika: Hewajima, Heiwajima, Shizuo, Shizuo

Rei: Bingo!

Rei: That is the answer.

Saika: Love Heiwajima cut Shizuo, Heiwajima cut Shizuo love

Saika: for love for love for love for love for love

Tanaka Taro: Huh? Is this someone Shizuo-san knows?

Saika: Shizuo, Shizuo, Shizuo

[PM Mode] Tanaka Taro: ... Izaya-san?

[PM Mode] Kanra: I get what you are saying, but I do not know, either.

Saika: Mother

Saika: Mother's wish is, same as, my wish

Rei: Mother, huh? Another puzzle?

Saika: Mother loves people, so do I

Saika: Born born born to to to love love love

[PM Mode] Kanra: Damn, is this someone Shizu-chan knows?

[PM Mode] Kanra: No... No way he would let someone this annoying live.

[PM Mode] Tanaka Taro: Anyway, we should probably clear out for a bit.

Tanaka Taro: Well, I am logging off now.

Setton: Oh, me too...

\- Saika has left the chatroom -

\- Tanaka Taro has left the chatroom -

Setton: Huh? It just left...

Kanra: Either way, we are done for today.

Rei: Good night everyone.

Setton: Good point.

Setton: So long.

Kanra: Good night!

\- Rei has left the chatroom -

\- Setton has left the chatroom -

\- Kanra has left the chatroom -

\- There is currently no one in the chatroom -

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **1\. This chapter was based on Chapter 3 "Ikebukuro's Most Dangerous" from the second volume of Durarara!**

 **2\. I have not fixed the errors in previous chapters even though I have a lot of free time... so lazy, duh!**

 **3\. According to Durarara! Wikia, Niekawa Shuuji wrote for "Tokyo Disaster" in the second light novel and "Tokyo Warrior" in the anime. But when I read the novel, Kanra said "Tokyo's slasher victim was the guy who wrote the 'Tokyo Disaster' articles for Tokyo Warrior", and that got me confused. So then I decided to just use "Tokyo Disaster" as the name of the article and "Tokyo Warrior" as the name of magazine.**

 **4\. I am thinking to change the summary of this story because it sucks, lol. Anyone can help?**

 **5\. Anyway, this story has 469 views now. Feel free to leave a review or send me questions. Thank you for reading and have a great day!**


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: This story is a fan-fiction based on 'Durarara!' by Narita Ryogo.**

* * *

 **Chapter 21. Saika**

Early March

Ikebukuro

The neighborhood began to bustle when March started.

The school exams were wrapping up, putting expressions of joy and mourning on the students' faces.

The office workers looked frazzled from the pressure of the fiscal year's approaching end.

The young adults without jobs or school loitered around the same way they always did.

People of every kind filled the city as the chill of winter started to wear off.

But the bustling of Ikebukuro these days was not due to the season.

Everyone who breathed in the air of the city could feel the abnormality hanging in the atmosphere.

* * *

Izumi's apartment

9 PM

I was glad that the exams had finished. Now I could finally resume my investigation regarding the slasher incident.

So basically, the first incident happened more than a year ago. A tough guy walking the streets at night was attacked, but it did not make the news under the assumption that it was just a fight of some kind. The victim claimed he was attacked with a katana, but he eventually gave up on that, and it was classified as a street squabble.

Two months after that, an average salary-man with no history of violence got hit, which drew the media's attention and served as fuel for the daytime variety shows.

More time passed, and on Christmas night, a couple was attacked. Authorities announced it to be likely the work of the same attacker. The fuel for the variety shows went from a wooden log to a tank of gasoline.

The fact that the victims never saw the face of their attacker, combined with the location of Ikebukuro - smack in the middle of the capital - added a touch of mystery to the incidents. It posed a riddle to the world but did not quite capture all of society, because as luck would have it, there were no fatalities.

But at this point, it was far more than gasoline.

The slasher was nitro fuel, blasting through the variety shows, prime-time news, and the front page of weekly tabloids and national newspapers alike.

After all the number of victims only rose after the New Year, and by the end of February, the pitch rose to a victim every day.

And now here I was, sitting in front of my laptop trying to find more information.

"Ikebukuro tsujigiri incident? Sounds like it is related to the slasher..." I mumbled to myself.

Shortly, five years ago, people actually died during the tsujigiri incident. And in the last incident, the killer barged into a house and cut down two people. The other victim got away with minor injuries. But the authorities never caught whoever was responsible.

"Hmm... Now let us try to find the information about the katana."

But unfortunately, nothing came up.

"I guess, there is only one way to find out."

I ran through the contact list in my smartphone and called someone.

"... Hello? Orihara-san, I would like to ask you about the slasher."

* * *

Shinjuku

An hour later

"Hey... I am delighted you decided to come visit me."

" _I just met you last month for the job you had me do._ "

"Oh, what is the harm? We did not get to chat last time. So how are things? It has been a year now since the Yagiri Pharmaceuticals incident. Have you found your head yet?"

Orihara Izaya offered Celty Sturluson a cup of tea with a sardonic smile. His nasty personality had not changed over time - he knew full well he was offering tea to someone without a mouth to drink it.

" _My issues are not important... I will be direct. Any suspicions as to the slasher?_ "

"It will cost you three bills," he stated.

Celty pulled a wallet made of solid shadow from her riding suit of the same material. The bills inside were real, of course. She removed three ten thousand-yen bills and handed them to Izaya.

"So not only is your scythe made of shadow, so are your wallet and clothes. If I shined a bright enough light on you, would the shadow dissipate and show me your naked body?

" _You want to see?_ "

Izaya responded to Celty's challenge by squirming backwards and smirking.

"Not really. I am not a pervert like that student or that unlicensed doctor. I do not get all hot and heavy over a severed head or its headless body."

The moment he tossed that insult back to her, a black scythe entwined its way around Izaya's neck.

The end of the scythe was curled up like a spring, forming a twisted circle around Izaya's neck, with the tip at the center. She had thrust the weapon up against his neck and morphed it into that bizarre shape in the blink of an eye.

Izaya's smile faded just the tiniest bit, and he raised his hands in a sign of surrender.

" _Insulting me is one thing. But if you slander Shinra again, you will pay dearly. Let us say... with injuries that will take three days to recover from._ "

"Thanks for the detail. You are calm enough to tell me this is not a bluff."

" _Yes, Shinra might be abnormal. But if he is weird, then he is only weird to me and no one else. You have no right to judge him._ "

"You sound like quite the couple," Izaya noted coolly. Celty retracted her scythe in resignation.

Unsatisfied with just being released, the informant had more sarcasm for the headless woman.

"But what if your biggest fan just happens to have a thing for headless woman? What if another dullahan comes along and seduces him? He might just fall over heels for her instead."

" _Somehow I doubt that... I would not mind. All I would do-_ "

"Is kill Shinra and commit suicide?"

" _No, I would just make certain that no other headless women get near him. It is not just that he loves me. Now I love him too..._ "

Izaya's smile vanished, only to be replaced by a great guffaw.

"... Kah-ha-ha! Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! I did not expect this! Since that last incident, you are more human than ever! But be careful. The closer you get to being human, the larger the gap might be when you finally do get your head and memories back!"

" _I can worry about that once I have my head. Actually, to be honest, I am starting to think I do not really need my head after all... But enough about that. Give me the information on the slasher. You are not going to take my money and tell me nothing, are you?_ "

"Do not worry, I have got some juicy intel I have not sold to the police or media or put on the internet. I have told someone who is interested in this though. Maybe you will meet this person later on. Anyway, I would not lie - I was waiting for you to come to me."

" _What do you mean?_ "

"I mean this case is a lot like you - it is straight out of the world of ghosts and goblins," he teased. When he spoke next, it was in the hushed tones of one beginning a scary story.

"... Have you ever heard the sword called Saika?"

" _Huh?_ "

"You might not believe me, but once, here in Shinjuku, there was a demon blade. This demon blade, Saika, has a mind of its own that could possess other people.

"When under Saika's influence, a person's eyes will glow red, with a crazed, wide-eyed look.

"If you combine the victims' testimony, they all remembered seeing red eyes before they passed out during the attacks.

"And each day Saika appeared online, a new slasing victim appeared later that night..."

* * *

Izumi's apartment

Thirty minutes later

"Hmm?" I saw an activity in the chatroom as I scrolled through the past logs.

\- There is currently no one in the chatroom -

\- Saika has entered the chatroom -

Saika: I cut one person today. But one is enough. It is not good to be greedy.

Saika: But I will cut again tomorrow. The more lovers, the better.

Saika: My strength has reached its peak.

Saika: I am looking for a person.

Saika: Heiwajima Shizuo.

Saika: The man I must love.

Saika: Tomorrow night, I will cut again.

Saika: I know where Shizuo is. But there are too many people to be safe.

Saika: Does he live alone?

Saika: Is it in Ikebukuro, too?

Saika: I want to know more about Shizuo.

Saika: About the strongest man in this town...

Saika: I want to love him, I want to know him.

Saika: I will cut someone again tomorrow. Every day, until I meet Shizuo.

Saika: I want to see Shizuo, soon, soon, soon...

\- Saika has left the chatroom -

\- There is currently no one in the chatroom -

\- There is currently no one in the chatroom -

\- There is currently no one in the chatroom -

"One is not enough. The more lovers the better. Saika possesses people. Is it possible that Saika can possess people by cutting them? I think I need evidence..."

\- Kanra has entered the chatroom -

"Oh? Orihara-san was online."

Kanra: ... Well it seems like this person is only posting here now.

Kanra: I was trying to figure out why.

Kanra: When the name Shizuo popped up here earlier, Taro clearly reacted to it.

Kanra: So it seems like they think this Shizuo person might be reading this messages.

"Eh, that is possible."

Kanra: Now, I am only guessing, but...

Kanra: This is advance warning for the crime, right? If something happens tomorrow night, should we report it?

Kanra: As the moderator, I will need to do something as soon as possible.

Kanra: Well, so long.

\- Kanra has left the chatroom -

\- There is currently no one in the chatroom -

"I suppose it is time to go out..."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **1\. This chapter was based on Chapter 4 "The Ikebukuro Calamity" from the second volume of Durarara!**

 **2\. I feel a bit unmotivated to write these days hahaha...**


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